Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Promote Yourself to CEO | Small Business Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Real Reason Why I Want You To Have a Life-First Business | 05 Sep 2024 | 00:44:21 | |
In the first episode of this brand new series on Building a Life First Business! | |||
| How to Include Delight and Surprise for Clients In Your Customer Experience | 29 Aug 2024 | 00:30:37 | |
Want clients for life? Give your client an experience that goes beyond their expectations. Think about booking lodgings for a vacation. It’s one thing to book a room for your stay with all the expected accommodations. But you remember the place that goes beyond: the chocolate on the pillow to greet you as a new guest, warm and freshly laundered towels in the bathroom daily, a minifridge already full of goodies you didn’t even have to buy, etc. And the next time you’re ready for a vacation in the area, you want to stay there again. Now, it’s really easy to think that translating that type of experience into your service-based business is as simple as surprising and delighting with little gifts, like that chocolate on the pillow. But there’s so much more to it, and today I’m excited to have Amber Kinney back on the podcast to talk about it. In this final episode of our customer experience series on Promote Yourself to CEO, you’ll learn about how you can translate surprising and delighting clients into your business as part of your customer experience plan. We’ll teach you how to put a little more intention and thoughtfulness into the ways you choose to surprise and delight clients so that they’ll trust and connect with you and your company. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 6:44 - What’s one of Amber's favorite ways to surprise and delight clients in her agency? 8:45 - I talk about a recent surprise I received when I started working with someone new. This kind of delight can motivate your clients even more! 13:01 - You can vote with your dollars when delighting your clients, too. Here’s how we do it every year. 16:22 - How do you and your team build connection with your clients in ways that will surprise and delight them? 24:25 - I discuss another way I try to delight all the time. This one goes above and beyond, and it can stick for your clients for years! Mentioned In How to Include Surprise and Delight for Clients In Your Customer Experience
| |||
| The Systems That Keep Your Business Running When You Slow Down | 27 Jun 2024 | 00:42:33 | |
Can you afford to take 30 days away from your business? What would happen if you can’t but took the time anyway? Sometimes, things come up. Personal or family illness, the impending birth of a new baby, or just needing a break can spark the need for taking some extended time off. But for a lot of small business owners, taking that time would essentially shut the business down. You’d stop marketing, working with clients, and making sales... unless you have systems in place that keep your business running when you slow down. This past April, I had to step away from my business because of a flare-up of my chronic illness that caused me extreme pain and kept me up at night. But if you listened to the show in April, you’d never know that because I had systems in place that could help me weather that situation. So in this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn the systems I use to make sure that my business runs smoothly even if I have to step back for a bit. By growing through some of the systems I use in my 5-part framework, I’ll teach you how you can keep on serving your clients and generating revenue while you’re away. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 5:09 - I talk about the biggest changes I’ve made for more flexibility in the “delight” stage of my framework. 9:18 - What do these changes look like functionally inside of The CEO Collective? 18:20 - How do I make sure sales keep coming in even if I have to step away from my business? 25:08 - If you think you need to be active in the nurture marketing stage all the time, systems are your friend here. I reveal how. 31:29 - Where do I spend the majority of my time, and why should you do the same? 39:33 - It took me a long time to follow this final piece of advice. Mentioned in The Systems That Keep Your Business Running When You Slow Down | |||
| How a Mid-Year Review Can Help You Achieve Your 2022 Goals | 02 Jun 2022 | 00:28:43 | |
How are you doing on those 2022 goals you set at the beginning of the year? We’re almost at the midway point of the year. But if you’ve gotten off track with your goals, don’t worry! In this episode, I walk you through a mid-year review to help you figure out what is and isn’t working and how you can start planning for the second half of 2022. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 2:42 - Look at each goal you set at the start of the year and ask yourself these questions. I discuss a few of mine, including a big one accomplished already. 6:07 - What goal am I not currently on track to reach? I’ve had this one on my to-do list for two years! 8:24 - The next step involves digging a little deeper and doing a month-by-month review. I reveal how I do it. 14:27 - Answer these questions to really get a handle on what you’ve noticed in your review. 20:53 - Plan for the rest of 2022 with these four questions to ask about each month remaining. 25:38 - So many entrepreneurs struggle because they overcomplicate this! To wrap up, I offer this one final piece of insight. Show Links | |||
| Increasing Profit and Decreasing Burnout: A Case Study with Sarah Young | 26 May 2022 | 00:46:13 | |
Undercharging and over-delivering can be a challenging habit to break. You have to come to terms with the idea of increasing your prices and overhauling your packaging structure. If you’re like my guest today and feel nervous about raising your prices, then listen up because I have a real-life case study for you! I interview CEO Collective member Sarah Young about her journey over the last 18 months where she increased her price points, decreased burnout, positioned herself differently than other bookkeepers and CPAs, and now enjoys her business more than ever. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 6:15 - What did Sarah’s business look like before she joined The CEO Collective? She reveals what prompted her to get into business for herself. 10:11 - Sarah feels like her pricing story is a little embarrassing, but she tells it anyway. Everybody has the same struggles, especially women. 14:27 - After some research, Sarah started raising her prices but still found herself burning out. Then something happened in January 2021 that changed her business. 21:28 - What did existing clients think after Sarah raised her price points? She discusses repackaging herself for higher-paying clients and framing a response to those who could no longer afford her. 27:13 - Sarah reveals something she had to come to terms with as she rebuilt her business from the ground up. 28:48 - Where did Sarah find higher-level clients willing to invest at her prices? If you think it’s super complicated, think again. 32:08 - Sarah shares what she sees happening financially with fast-growing businesses when they underprice themselves. 36:09 - How do you build in profitability in your pricing, especially as you hire and grow a team? Sarah offers her insight. 42:47 - Sarah shares what’s been the best part of being a member of The CEO Collective. Show Links | |||
| Saying YES to Being a Fully Supported CEO with Michelle Clayton | 19 May 2022 | 00:44:04 | |
We’ve all heard the conditioned messaging about how to achieve success: Pull yourself up by your bootstraps! No one’s going to work as hard or care as much about your business as you. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. If you’ve been struggling with this mindset and haven’t allowed yourself to be fully supported in your business, then this episode should help change your mind. I interview my client Michelle Clayton, who’s the founder of WeLetHerFly.com and a member of The CEO Collective. We discuss how she finally stepped into her CEO role by surrounding herself with support and made mindset shifts in her business that allowed her to get out of the feast or famine cycle that traps so many entrepreneurs. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 5:18 - Your branding can affect your ability to show up in your business the way you want. How? 9:03 - What happened when Michelle decided to increase her pricing? 13:16 - Your pricing communicates certain things about your business, product, or service. 16:02 - Michelle has undergone another big shift in her business while in The CEO Collective. It’s something I’ve often discussed on the show. 20:07 - How has Michelle’s role as CEO changed? And what did she do to stay creatively inspired when the well ran dry? 26:46 - I ask Michelle a couple of lightning round questions to wind down the show. 30:08 - Michelle discusses why anyone on the fence about joining The CEO Collective should just go ahead and do it. 36:12 - I recap some key things about how Michelle pulled her business out of the feast or famine cycle.
Show Links
| |||
| Double Your Revenue Using a Most Crucial Business Asset with Layne Lyons JD | 05 May 2022 | 00:44:24 | |
When you need to grow your business, what do you do? Do you lock out the rest of the world and brainstorm new products, programs, or service ideas yourself, like so many entrepreneurs do? Big mistake! When you try to expand your business this way, you’re cutting out 100% of one of your most crucial assets: your existing customers and clients. In this episode, my guest and CEO Collective member Layne Lyons tells us about how she’s on track to double her business by getting actual input from those already familiar with her business. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 5:17 - Layne describes her business before it underwent an amazing transformation and reveals her first business bottleneck. 9:39 - What did Layne do to resolve her first bottleneck? What was her experience like after she started putting some boundaries in place? 13:12 - Layne shares what it felt like to finally increase her price points and offers advice to those on the precipice of doing the same. 15:53 - A new offer has opened the door for Layne to double the revenue from her business. She reveals what it is and the journey she went on to get here. 21:31 - What happened when Layne launched her new offer? This demonstrates why asking your existing client base for new ideas is the easiest way to build your next offer. 25:21 - Layne describes how she and her business are different now thanks to the changes she’s implemented. 34:21 - How was Layne’s experience joining The CEO Collective? She offers an inside look. 37:09 - To wrap up, I highlight a few points Layne made about streamlining and simplifying her business to the point where she now works less and enjoys her life more. Show Links | |||
| 3 Key Strategies to Grow Your Business | 28 Apr 2022 | 00:40:17 | |
As a business growth strategist for over 15 years, I’ve constantly heard and seen something that grates on my nerves. So many so-called experts always hype up the latest tools and tactics that grow your business by some measly amount every year. But why only settle for five or ten percent annual growth when you can double it instead? You don’t have to, which is why in this episode I reveal my three key strategies to help you rapidly grow your business (doubling or even tripling your revenue) with half the effort. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 4:35 - I dive into the first strategy right off the bat. You can do it quickly, without engaging in more marketing or attracting extra sales. 9:31 - What’s the most common concern I often hear when I advocate my first strategy? One of my clients recently went through this. 13:55 - I discuss one final key thing to think about when it comes to strategy #1. Women entrepreneurs especially need to pay attention to this! 18:00 - Key strategy #2 involves increasing this aspect of your business. It does come with a couple of caveats, though. 25:13 - What’s the correlation between consistent business growth and time spent on marketing and sales activity? 26:24 - I reveal the last strategy to double your revenue with half the effort. It involves something a lot of entrepreneurs forget. 30:58 - Retention is a huge thing that leads to results, and I talk about the myriad of ways in which that helps your business growth. 33:25 - What happens after your clients have achieved the big promise of your signature offer? 37:08 - To wrap up the episode, I quickly recap the strategies. Show Links | |||
| My Go To Strategy to PLAN for Predictable Profits | 21 Apr 2022 | 00:26:39 | |
If you’re anything like me, there comes the point in your business where your business needs to step up to support you and support your family if you’re going to stick with it. We all got through those startup stages of our business where we knew it was going to take awhile to figure things out and to get people in the door. Once you get a little bit further along on your journey and you’re ready to make this your full-time focus, you need your business to pay you a real paycheck. No one loves to run a business that can’t support the entrepreneur running it. This is why it’s so, so important to have a game plan for how you’re going to design that predictably profitable business. But the statistics show us that most women do not have a predictably profitable business. Over 75% of women entrepreneurs do not earn more than $50,000 a year. And most entrepreneurs shut the doors within the first couple of years. If you are committed to making your business truly work for you and work for your family, you have to have a real profit plan to make it work before you get so burnt out that you throw in the towel. | |||
| Do You Have a LEAK in Your Predictable Profit Strategy? | 14 Apr 2022 | 00:29:40 | |
Not long ago, I was a guest coach for a business workshop where everyone was working on a poster-size post-it to map out our business for the next 12 months. There were directions to map out your business goals, your offers, and your marketing strategy. I started looking around the room to see where people needed help and I realized everybody in the room had a leaky business. Their marketing plan was not working together. Everyone’s marketing plan was a smattering of tactics… but there was no clear strategy to ensure that all that marketing effort was leading potential clients to their paid offers. The minute I shared with them a different way to approach their marketing strategy, all the light bulbs went off as people could see why all the work they had put into marketing their business wasn’t generating real results. Most people when they sit down and write out a marketing plan, they make a list of marketing to-dos. They need to have a newsletter and they need to blog… they need to do a podcast and they need to be posting on social media. But a marketing to-do list isn’t a strategy unless it all works together to turn your community into paid clients. Ready to fix the LEAK in your predictable profit strategy? | |||
| The #1 Mistake Keeping Women Entrepreneurs from Predictably Profitable Business | 07 Apr 2022 | 00:41:10 | |
Statistically, 80% of new businesses are going to fail within the first few years… so how do you make sure that you’re going to beat the odds and succeed? How do you make sure your business is going to stick it out through the startup stages to get to the success stage where you’re finally making consistent revenue? It comes down to FOCUS. In this episode, I’m going to share how you can get more focused so you can achieve your business goals. It’s all about simplifying your business strategy. | |||
| How Designing a Baseline Revenue Plan Gets You Paid Every Month | 31 Mar 2022 | 00:21:58 | |
In this episode, we're focusing on the #1 strategy to ensure that you get paid each and every month in your business… even when you need to take a break from your business. Have you ever found yourself with a family emergency, something that needed your immediate attention, and suddenly, you had no choice but to completely rearrange your calendar? Or maybe you just want to enjoy a fun vacation without worrying about your inbox or your clients. You love the idea of being able to take a week or two off throughout the year in your business, but the same problem exists::?If you’re not working, you’re not getting paid. I know that this is something that’s incredibly common, especially for those of you who are heart-centered service providers. Maybe you’re a teacher or a coach or a trainer and you’re probably running your business by working one on one with clients offering services. While that is a fantastic first step to get your business going, it can also create a bottleneck in your business where, again, if you’re not working, you’re not getting paid. Today, I want to break down a really simple strategy that can start to free you from this dollar-for-hour trap that is not allowing you to take sick days or vacations… and start thinking more strategically about your business. | |||
| Do You Have CEO Level Support? | 24 Mar 2022 | 00:32:10 | |
In my conversations with women, I’ve discovered that we just don’t ask for or seek enough help. We feel like we have to do everything ourselves, and this leaves us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and on the brink of burnout. In this episode, I talk about building your own support system. I take you behind the scenes and share how I’ve built teams to help me in various areas of my business and my life. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 4:03 - When building your own support system, you can focus on several areas. I start with discussing the different ways I receive support in my business. 8:29 - Doing this used to take up a HUGE amount of my time. I talk about it and how my Director of Operations, customer support team, and program coordinator are life savers! 14:42 - I have more people behind the scenes I’m in contact with to occasionally help me on the business side of things. 17:09 - My personal success team at home helps me manage my health. This area is one where a lot of women entrepreneurs still hold on to some old-fashioned norms. 23:21 - I discuss the final area of support I receive. It’s something I wasn’t even sure I’d talk about on the show. 28:18 - You’ve got a permission slip to ask yourself: Where do I need support? Show Links | |||
| 3 High Leverage Ways to Keep Up Business Momentum | 20 Jun 2024 | 00:24:02 | |
Just because it's a slow down season in your personal life doesn’t mean your sales have to follow suit. “Why Your Old Sales Strategy Might Not Be Working” “How Your Client Education Process Leads to More Sales” “How to Gain Clients for Life with Stacey Harris” | |||
| 6 Lessons to Work Smarter, Not Harder | 10 Mar 2022 | 00:32:51 | |
A lot of us entrepreneurs have seen (and heard) from our parents and others that success requires a lot of hard work and long hours. I used to be frustrated with the whole “work smarter, not harder” concept because I saw my entrepreneurial parents embrace the hustle. I thought to gain success you had to do anything and everything and work 80-100 hour weeks. But you eventually reach a point where you just can’t work any harder! So how do you get to that next level of success? Working harder for it clearly isn’t the answer. You need to shift the way you think about your relationship with work. So in today’s episode, I talk about six lessons that will have you working smarter instead. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:48 - When you do this, you get an exponentially higher return on your time and energy. So what’s lesson #1 and how have I practiced it in my business? 7:12 - What does the E in CEO not stand for? I learned this lesson the hard way! 11:46 - You’ve probably heard this phrase before, and there is some truth to it. I’ve had to follow this lesson whenever my business crossed another threshold. 17:03 - So many entrepreneurs, especially creative ones, find lesson #4 challenging to implement. But not doing so can eventually sabotage you. 20:41 - Don’t love the idea of going into debt to invest back into your business? Here’s what I did early on in my business for lesson #5. 25:32 - You can’t implement the final lesson through Google. You’ll face rites of passage in your business when you’ll want this in your corner instead. Show Links | |||
| ROI of Thinking Like a CEO | 24 Feb 2022 | 00:36:05 | |
We've all heard that it costs money to make money, right? Do you remember the first big investment you made into your business? I do... and it was SCARY. I remember being nervous, excited, and a little nauseous as I wrote the first check to join my first mastermind for $10,000. At the time, I was coming off a nearly year-long maternity leave with my twins. We'd made ends meet with Jameson's teaching salary and a couple of clients I was working with on the side... but reality was hitting us that I needed to dramatically ramp up my business to support my family. Investing $10,000 into my business seemed like a huge stretch for us. But as Jameson and I talked about the vision I had for this business - one that would allow me to support our family while working from home - we knew that it was time to commit 100% and go all in. That decision to?commit?made all the difference. It instantly shifted my mindset from?"How am I going to afford this mastermind? How can I handle this added expense to my business?" to?"How many clients do I need to make back this investment? How can I get a Return on Investment?" I realized I just needed 2 new consulting clients. Suddenly it didn't seem so scary to make that investment. In this episode, I want to share with you the ROI of thinking like a CEO - how we can make smart decisions about when, where, and how we spend our money to grow our business:: 5:30 The big question I always ask myself when it comes to spending money in my business - is this an expense? Or is this an investment? 6:26 The different types of return I'm looking for when I spend money in my business including ROI, ROT, and ROE 11:00 Why I see marketing, branding, and photography as an INVESTMENT into my business because it reflects the quality and value of my offers - and where I'm actually investing in these areas. 14:30 Just to be clear - not everyone needs to invest this much into their brand at the early stages of your business or when your brand isn't holding you back from getting more clients or growing your business. Be discerning and only invest when you have a clear reason why! 16:03 Entrepreneurs are resourceful and will Google all day to figure things out! But it's a huge waste of our time. Hiring support is one of the best ways to buy back your time. 19:00 How you can not only get buy back your time - but get a return on investing in a team member - when you use that saved time to serve clients or attract new clients. 23:45 No one really talks about this unless you are surrounded by other high-performing entrepreneurs and business owners - but the best investment is investing in yourself! 24:46 "Your income seldom exceeds personal development." - Jim Rohn 24:48 These stats SHOCK me - Did you know that 1/3 of high-school grads never read any other book for the rest of their lives. 80% of families haven't read a book in the last year! 25:35 The level of success we experience in our outer world is simply the mirror reflection of our self-identity and personal development of our inner world. We all have a set-point, an internal thermostat, for the level of development. The only way to increase your internal set-point? Personal development. 28:15 Why high-performers invest 10% of their income back into their personal development and the lesson I learned from Darren Hardy about how he approaches investing into his development with books, courses, conferences, and coaching. 29:50 In the early stages of our business, we invest into mastering our craft and learning the | |||
| Run Your Day Like a CEO | 27 Jan 2022 | 00:32:08 | |
Are your mornings just the craziest time of the day? Between dealing with pets, coffee, and kids, you ultimately feel frazzled by the time you sit down at your desk. Or perhaps at the end of your day, you’re just exhausted and collapsing into bed. Well, high-performance CEOs and leaders know they need to manage their day well and conserve their energy and brain space for what really matters to get the results they desire in life, health, relationships, and business. So today, we’re going to talk about how you can run your day like a high-performance CEO. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 6:06 - A great day truly starts the night before. I’ve never been a great sleeper and even failed at it according to my FitBit app, so here’s how I fixed that. 15:48 - Morning routines all about personal preference. I discuss what the introvert in me thrives on. 19:58 - Pay attention to anything causing frustration in your day. What used to annoy me and how I solved it. 22:58 - Simplifying decision-making. I describe my simple capsule wardrobe choices and advance self-care scheduling. 25:41 - Having essentials for health and home shipped to me automatically. I do this for myself, my husband, and our kids. 26:43 - Manage whatever sucks away your time. The happy accident a couple of weeks ago that helped me truly relax that weekend. Show Links | |||
| Run Your Week Like a CEO | 20 Jan 2022 | 00:42:29 | |
Running your business like a CEO requires strategy and planning. It also requires skillfully managing your time and energy every week as a CEO so that you’re putting your attention on the tasks that’ll actually move your business forward. However, this is an area where we often get stuck. The email inbox, administration work, and ongoing busy work daily in our business can become a distraction. Then at the end of the week, we realize we haven’t made progress on those high-priority tasks that will truly move your business forward. In this episode, we’re talking about how you can run your week like a CEO and make those higher-value tasks a priority. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 4:33 - My model calendar approach. It’s essentially time blocking specific types of tasks, but here are the details of how I do it. 16:56 - Your CEO date. This is the time on your calendar when you’re checking in with your business. 26:49 - Asking yourself where you need support and self-care this week. Why did I include it in the CEO planner? 29:17 - Sticking to what you just mapped out for the week. The CEO Score really comes in handy, and I break down what it’s all about. 36:26 - A weekly review, starting with wins. It also helps track any recurring problems so you can nip them in the bud. 38:57 - Quickly recapping my top 5 things to run your week like a CEO. Show Links | |||
| Run Your Month Like a CEO | 13 Jan 2022 | 00:21:29 | |
You’ve probably heard of my weekly CEO date if you’ve been following me for a while now. This is where I sit down to check in on my business to make sure we’re continuing to progress towards all the goals we’ve set. But I have another CEO date every single month. This series is all about what you’re doing on an ongoing basis to ensure you aren’t only creating business plans but also following through on them and adapting as circumstances arise. So I’m diving deep today and discussing how to build in self-accountability so that your plan isn’t just another Google document you’ll never look at again. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 2:37 - My monthly CEO date falls on the first Monday of each month. Diving into my check-in process. 5:59 - The importance of a planner to look back and review. This way, you see patterns before a big emergency crops up. 8:50 - Reviewing last month’s metrics and revenue. It keeps my finger on the pulse and helps me decide my goal for the next month. 12:08 - Actively or passively selling offers? Just putting out the information isn’t enough anymore, so here’s what I have to do now. 14:23 - Seeing what has and hasn’t worked with marketing helped me course correct quite a few times. Brainstorming all of my content for the month. 16:38 - Setting my top three monthly priorities, communicating them to my team, and managing my calendar. Show Links | |||
| Run Your Quarter Like a CEO | 06 Jan 2022 | 00:36:24 | |
Every new year feels like a fresh start and a new chance to go after those big, audacious goals for our lives and businesses. But if this year has taught us anything, it’s that our plans need adaptability. We need to build this adaptability into our entire business and allow it flexibility while still getting the results we want. That’s why I love running my quarter through 90-day plans. Today, I talk about how to actually dig in and start creating these plans for your own business. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:14 - Why 90-day plans? Entrepreneurs love setting big, ambitious goals but it can be overwhelming. 8:40 - Breaking big goals into more manageable chunks to fit the time, energy, and resources you have. You can make your best guess, or do this instead. 12:08 - What do you need to think about as you’re creating your first 90-day plan? I walk you through my process. 14:32 - Starting the process by looking over your sales and marketing. I go over my 5-part marketing strategy. 19:31 - This step is what most of us think of as marketing. Super valuable and important but only going out to the people who already know you. 22:50 - Breaking things down into process vs. project goals. I share some personal examples of each. 25:01 - Asking yourself these questions can really help ensure you avoid major challenges as you’re working through your action plan. 27:54 - Fine-tuning your plan to achieve your goals at the beginning of every quarter. Show Links | |||
| Avoid Blowing Up Your Business--3 Key Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Scaling | 09 Dec 2021 | 00:37:25 | |
You hear a lot of terrible advice online these days that causes people to focus on scaling at all costs. All of that effort only leads to your business blowing up. Things break and go awry, and you’re constantly putting out fires, feeling overwhelmed and stressed at the cash-eating monster you’ve created. So let’s forgo this unsustainable approach to growth and do something different. Avoid the three biggest things I see causing problems with business scaling. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:58 - The first mistake I see entrepreneurs make and how you can get yourself into this situation. No matter how much money you bring in, you feel like you can never get ahead. 6:33 - When do expensive, robust systems make sense to purchase and use in your business? Technology audits and figuring out where you’re unnecessarily spending money right now. 9:50 - Female entrepreneurs are especially susceptible to this mistake. Trying to do it all yourself vs. paying everyone but yourself. 12:12 - These specific incidences of comparison often lead to overspending. Here’s how you can spend in a way more cost-effective way. 18:04 - Mindset that contributes to the second key mistake (especially for a product that doesn’t fit your market). Test this first, instead. 26:00 - The third key mistake feeds into both of the previous ones. Dangers of having overly complicated systems in your business. 31:04 - Bringing more humanity back to business. I ditched my Frankenstein-looking system for an old program that wasn’t working and simplified it. 34:20 - Recapping all three key business mistakes. Show Links
| |||
| The Truth About Scaling Your Business | 02 Dec 2021 | 00:24:14 | |
Is it really possible to double, triple, or 10x your business in just a year? Or to take your business from 100k to $1,000,000 in revenue within just 36 months? If you listen to all the noise online, scaling seems like the name of the game and what we all should be focused on. But the honest truth is scaling for the sake of it can be detrimental to your business. So in this series, we’re talking about the truth of scaling your business. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 2:44 - The difference between growth and scale. While the terms are used interchangeably, they’re not the same thing at all. 6:25 - Entrepreneurs focusing just on scaling sales and not putting infrastructure in place create unstable and unsustainable businesses with irate customers and bad word-of-mouth. 9:25 - Emergency panic mode triggered by a large influx of customers creates chaos. Exhausting sales cycle leads to burnout with the type of massive, expensive launches you see online all the time. 15:15 - All the expenses going into massive launches in pursuit of scale focuses on top-line revenue, not profit. The entrepreneur gets paid last and doesn’t actually end up pocketing a lot of money at all. 18:00 - This year exposed how fragile so many businesses really are. One launch or bad month away from having to close up shop. Show Links | |||
| How Gratitude Helps You Build Your Business Connections & Community with Shannon Siriano Greenwood | 25 Nov 2021 | 00:39:55 | |
A couple of years ago, I received an invitation to a thank you party via email. That incredibly heartfelt invitation gave me the best feeling and became the catalyst for a friendship and business contact. In this Thanksgiving Day episode, the woman behind that email, Shannon Siriano Greenwood, is back on the show. She and I talk about how gratitude can have a huge impact on and should be the driving force behind your business. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 4:23 - I read the entire email from Shannon that caused me, a super introvert, to dress up and attend a restaurant downtown. 8:54 - Shannon discusses how she and I met. She calls it our own little love story. 14:53 - When did Shannon realize that bringing people together was her strength? She discusses why the realization didn’t come quickly. 20:25 - Shannon reveals a huge component of making connections and building relationships. It looks different from most people’s image of networking. 22:48 - What’s even better than a typical referral? All it takes is a simple mindset shift to see it, and it definitely has a huge effect on your business. 25:53 - We talk about how we remember to touch base and stay in contact with people. 31:04 - Why does Shannon get invited to a lot of things? She’s already done five podcast interviews this month without having to pitch herself. 34:32 - Shannon reveals the purpose behind her new program that brings women together. Show Links | |||
| How to See Content as Assets in Your Business Arsenal with Stacey Harris | 18 Nov 2021 | 00:43:49 | |
Are you like a hamster on a wheel when it comes to content creation? Do you feel pressured to release a newsletter, blog post, or social media posts week after week? Unfortunately, you’ve become a couch potato content creator--creating content that gets seen once, then gets archived and never sees the light of day again. Time in your business can be spent so much better than that! So in this episode, I’ve invited my friend and podcast producer Stacey Harris to discuss our anti-couch potato content creation approach and how to see your content as an asset to be used over and over in your business. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 6:25 - Stacey talks about podcast production and what her agency Uncommonly More does differently for podcasters. 11:24 - Is doing an interview-only podcast a good approach to take? Here’s why you might not want to do it like Dax Shepard. 12:54 - Shifting your content approach for client acquisition purposes doesn’t just apply to podcasting. You can do it elsewhere too. 14:03 - How do Stacey and I plan out the content for my podcast together? We reveal how the sausage is made to help you see the shift in real action. 18:13 - We discuss why you needn’t worry about boring people with recycled content, as long as you’re not creating junk food content. 20:19 - Stacey and I divulge how this approach creates space to get away from the never-ending content creation hamster wheel. 27:12 - Stacey highlights how she re-purposes her sales page content and why it helps get clients on board more quickly. 31:10 - How did one service-based entrepreneur build a content marketing system that worked for her, right around the time automation became popular? 37:44 - I circle back to the three key questions that Stacey asks me every quarter. They can totally change the way you think about your content. Show Links
| |||
| 5 Ways to Maintain Momentum During The Summer Slowdown | 12 Jun 2024 | 00:35:51 | |
Summer is just around the corner! It’s the time of year to relax with a cold drink by the pool and just slow things down. Sounds great, but how do you make sure things don’t slow down too much in your business? In this episode, I talk about how you can avoid losing momentum during the slower summer months and ramp up your business for the fall. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:21 - Summer is the perfect time to work on the bigger picture for your business. Here’s the first way to help you get the most out of this slower period. 6:45 - What’s the one thing that’ll help you grow your business sustainably? This allows you to leverage your time and energy by working smarter, not harder. 19:19 - Want to set yourself up for success for the rest of the year? Look at these three core parts of your marketing strategy and your overall marketing system. 28:33 - How your business shows up in the world matters. It’s the first impression people get, so consider upgrading this aspect over the summer. 32:36 - This time of year is when I’ll often plan for and create new offers, including my very first program in the summer of 2011. Show Links | |||
| Keys to Aligning Your Marketing, Brand, and Overall Business Vision in 2022 with Beth Gebhard | 11 Nov 2021 | 00:53:12 | |
Tiktok taking off. Influencer marketing making a huge splash. Gurus advocating automation everywhere. AI technology that practically reads the minds of potential clients and customers (or so it seems) being a thing that exists. All of these marketing trends took the world by storm in 2021. But something about these kinds of marketing strategies doesn’t appeal or feel right to most entrepreneurs. So in this episode, I talk with marketing expert Beth Gebhard about why you need to be thinking more of the big picture when it comes to marketing and really bring the soul of your business forward in 2022. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:34 - If there’s one thing you should take away from my conversation with Beth, it’s this. I’ve seen people succumb to this A LOT this year. 8:13 - Beth summarizes the twisting, winding road of her marketing and PR background. 13:29 - Marketing gets treated too often as an afterthought. Try this if you’re new or hesitant to plan out your marketing. 18:52 - What are some major components you should keep in mind when creating a marketing plan for your business? 23:27 - Beth breaks down what a brand actually is. What you think it is doesn’t even scratch the surface. 25:37 - You need to get all the components of your brand in writing. Here’s how it’ll become a bottleneck in your business down the line if you do otherwise. 31:18 - Using text message marketing as an example, Beth reveals the three filters she uses to help clients decide on whether to engage with any marketing tactic. 33:30 - Ask yourself these questions after you’ve spent some time implementing any marketing technique. 38:29 - How can business growth be catastrophic? We reveal why marketing isn’t the solution to everything. 43:45 - To wrap up the episode, I circle back to point out some key takeaways from the interview. Show Links | |||
| Do You Have a Month by Month Profit Plan for 2022? | 05 Nov 2021 | 00:23:39 | |
Inconsistent marketing... feast or famine cycle... shiny object syndrome... all work and no play... these are all signs of a lack of effective business planning to keep you focused and in implementation mode, without the hustle and burnout. In this episode, I guide you towards taking all the insights you’ve gained from the last few days and turning them into your 12-month profit plan for 2022. Welcome to the last day of the Plan Your Best Year Ever challenge! On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:59 - Your 12-month profit plan today isn’t a day-to-day or week-to-week list of things to do. 5:29 - I reveal the 5-part marketing strategy this profit plan is built on and include some examples. 8:56 - How do you map out a big picture profit plan for your business in 2022? Here’s where I start. 9:41 - Do this first to make sure you burnout-proof your business. I offer some questions for you to consider. 11:24 - Start planning what you’re going to sell next year. I discuss how I figure out what my promotion calendar will look like. 14:24 - As you implement your promotion calendar, you’ll want to build up this vital asset as well. 16:19 - I mention one last thing you might want to include in your workbook. 17:12 - If you loved this challenge, what can you do next? I offer you an invitation. Show Links | |||
| How to Set Goals You Can Actually Follow Through On? | 04 Nov 2021 | 00:16:53 | |
Does this sound familiar? You write down a business goal and put it some place to remind you of it constantly. Then a few weeks or months down the line, that goal has gone missing, gotten thrown away, or is gathering dust on your desk or fridge or wherever you’ve placed it. And your business is as aimless as it’s ever been. With goal setting, too many people have a “set it and forget it” mindset. It’s time to try something new! In this episode, I dive into a different way of goal setting that’ll help you actually create the kind of milestones you’ll follow through on. Welcome to day four! On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 4:20 - You’ve made New Year’s resolutions, only to realize you’ve fallen off the wagon before January’s over. Why does goal setting fail so often? 5:52 - Let’s begin a new approach for setting goals. I share a tip I’ve given a lot of my clients when it comes to brainstorming potential goals. 9:23 - You’re going to have a lot written down after your brainstorming session. I discuss how to narrow everything down to your top five goals. 11:08 - Think about how you’re setting yourself up for success. 13:39 - What’s a push goal? I define it and quickly give you a scenario to demonstrate. Show Links | |||
| Is Your Business by Default or by Design? | 03 Nov 2021 | 00:19:04 | |
Too many women entrepreneurs work crazy long hours trying to do everything themselves. And just when they feel like they’ve finally put out one fire, another one flares up soon after. But panic isn’t a business strategy, and you didn’t become an entrepreneur to stress yourself out. Imagine a 2022 that’s different, one without the hustle and burnout. Imagine running your business by design instead of default. When you do, things begin to run like clockwork. So in this episode, I dive into a strategic process for consciously designing a business that works for you instead of you for it. Welcome to day three! On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:33 - Why are we doing business design today after lifestyle design yesterday? It reflects one of The CEO Collective values. 5:33 - I discuss the first part of today’s exercise: looking at your personal definition of success. 7:46 - What’s your professional definition of success? 8:42 - Without getting clear on part two and being more discerning, your business becomes really stressful. 9:43 - Part three shifts you into money mode, but you’re not just going to pull a revenue goal out of thin air. Here’s a helpful way to crunch the numbers. 12:11 - I talk about what to do after you’ve come up with your revenue goal and mention a caveat to keep in mind if you have multiple offers. 14:55 - Marketing that works best for others may not be right for you at all. So how do you figure out the best strategy for you? Show Links
| |||
| What Does Your Dream 2022 Look Like? | 02 Nov 2021 | 00:14:14 | |
Do you spend every waking moment thinking and worrying about your business, especially with everything that’s gone on since last year? You can still build your dream business regardless of what’s happening in the world. Just take the time to get intentional about what you really want to experience. In today’s episode, I focus on a strategy to help you design your dream life in 2022. Welcome to day two! On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:54 - Today is when things get fun and exciting. I reveal what inspired me to create this exercise. 5:25 - Where is the best place to start when you’re dreaming of what you want to see in your life in the future? 5:58 - I walk you through the process and give examples of upgrades you can attain a year from now. 7:58 - Keep these caveats in mind as you brainstorm your upgrades. 8:29 - I mention some upgrades you may want to consider making in your business. 9:51 - Putting some numbers on the upgrades you desire will give you a clearer picture of the income you need to make it happen. 12:30 - I briefly preview tomorrow’s episode. If your business hasn’t provided you with a steady paycheck, day 3 will make a huge difference! Show Links | |||
| Ready To Plan Your Best Year Ever? | 01 Nov 2021 | 00:15:54 | |
The holidays are almost here and many of us are already thinking about next year. But before you do that, it’s important to first take time to reflect on the progress you’ve made in your business this year. Too many entrepreneurs make the same mistakes and face the same obstacles again and again because they fail to do so, making the need to reach the next level of success that much harder. So to help you avoid this, I’m kicking off my annual five-part series for planning your best year ever! I’ll walk you through the same strategy that I and thousands of other women business owners have followed for the last five years. Today, I start off with reviewing the year. By the end of this series, you’ll have a 12-month plan in hand to help you turn your profit dreams into reality. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 2:29 - Entrepreneurs who plan grow twice as fast as those who don’t plan. So here’s what I encourage you to do before even listening to the episode. 5:01 - Why is planning so important? I talk about what I’ve noticed in my 15+ years working behind the scenes with clients. 7:46 - I reveal why I like to review the year month-by-month and tools that can help refresh your memory of what happened. 9:21 - Ask yourself these key questions as you reflect back on each month. You’ll start to see patterns and get insights into what worked and didn’t work. 12:39 - I give examples of the type of clarity you can gain through this process to help your business. Show Links | |||
| What Is Your Definition of Success? | 28 Oct 2021 | 00:31:39 | |
What does it mean to have success on your terms? For many, it looks like being your own boss, on your own schedule, and making as much money as you want. Then you see the success of entrepreneurial influencers online, start to feel like you’re doing things wrong, and try to change the way you operate, only to realize you’ve just created another 9-to-5 job for yourself. To help you discover your own definition of success, I’ve created a workbook covering five areas of life. In this episode, I walk you through this workbook so you can transform life and business to align with your real desires in 2022. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:15 - I remember when I started realizing that our definition of success as women entrepreneurs had massively changed. 6:22 - Why can you still feel disappointed when you hit a revenue goal? Having clarity on your definition of success gives you a decision-making filter. 8:02 - What does your ideal regular day look like for you? I walk you through the first part of the workbook I’ve created. 13:19 - Keep these questions in mind as you think about your relationships with family and friends. 17:35 - This is an area where I often put myself last, especially when I’m feeling stressed. It goes back to when I was a teenager. 22:44 - Discover the biggest benefit of having creative outlets outside of your business and how I avoid the temptation to turn every hobby into a business. 26:16 - Fulfilling your definition of success in this area will have you feeling more empowered and grounded in your life and business. 29:23 - To wrap up the episode, I quickly recap the five areas you want to think about to define your success. Show Links | |||
| Why Referrals Are STILL The Gold Standard | 14 Oct 2021 | 00:39:48 | |
Social media and online marketing and content creation strategies are wonderful and I use them. But... business grows at the speed of relationships. If you’ve heard it’s impossible to scale a referral-based business or that you shouldn’t rely on referrals for your business, then tune in as me and my Operations Director Amber Kinney expose these myths. Amber can certainly vouch for this promotional strategy as she’s built her business entirely on referrals. So we have a conversation about how referrals are here to stay, can serve as one of the best things you do for your business, and cover five key strategies to think about so your business can become referrable. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 6:23 - Amber briefly discusses a little bit about her business. 9:29 - Is it sustainable to only have a referral-based business? Amber shares her thoughts on the matter. 12:21 - Growing too fast has its consequences. Amber reveals two must-have components for a referrable AND scalable business. 17:07 - How does Amber get referrals? It’s such a simple, casual process. 18:48 - With referrals, a lot of the heavy lifting in vetting both sides (the client and the CEO) is done for you. We discuss the reasons why. 22:46 - Why do some people really struggle with referrals? It’s tied to the transactional feeling of relationships that lack buildup. 27:04 - We talk about how we’ve networked, made connections, and built relationships as introverts to stay on top of our game. 32:28 - Amber offers some final advice to wrap up the interview. 34:23 - I end the episode with a quick summary of the five key things Amber and I talked about regarding building a more referral-based business. Show Links | |||
| Ready to Generate More Sales? Try These High Touch Sales Boosters | 07 Oct 2021 | 00:29:33 | |
I’ve said before that high touch is incredibly important for entrepreneurs with premium offers. Despite being told that you can make lots of money while you sleep or that you must have a complicated funnel to be successful, directly connecting with people interested in your products, programs, and services is the real key to making sales at a premium level. In this episode, I share seven high-touch sales boosters to help you increase your revenue. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 8:28 - I dive into the first high-touch sales booster. It’s one of my absolute favorite things to do and can make a huge impact on your launch. 10:25 - How can you personally follow up with your most active community members? 13:22 - Sales booster #3 is a little bit more techie but totally worth it because it produces incredibly high conversions. Here’s how I do it. 17:30 - I only recommend this sales booster if you have someone to help you manage it. It’s a great one for enrollment periods. 18:17 - How can you quickly and efficiently respond to all the emails and DMs you receive during your enrollment period? 20:48 - Using this method can help boost enrollments during the middle days of your launch when things slow down. 25:46 - I save the best high-touch sales booster for last. Show Links | |||
| Why Being Everywhere is Terrible Advice (And What to Do Instead) | 30 Sep 2021 | 00:35:52 | |
Remember the day you first heard you should be on Twitter? Or Facebook? Or Instagram? Last year, it was Tik Tok. Years prior, it was Periscope. And on and on it goes. You hear the same about other marketing methods like building email lists, creating YouTube videos, starting a podcast, and blogging. And on and on it goes. One of the challenges women entrepreneurs face is just understanding the right strategies to use to grow their unique businesses. Without that clarity, you can’t gain real momentum as it just dilutes your efforts. So if all of this advice has your head spinning and confused about how to promote your business, then this episode’s for you. In it, I simplify how to think about your overall marketing strategy for better results. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 4:45 - What are your strengths? Answering this question isn’t as easy as it seems and I discuss why. 6:13 - I reveal a few ways for you to gain clarity on what you’re naturally good at. 11:05 - What are the four sweet spot themes for entrepreneurship? I briefly talk about each one. 13:25 - Focusing on strengthening weaknesses only incrementally improves results. How can you focus on your strengths instead? 21:15 - The final piece of the puzzle is the real secret to long-term success for entrepreneurs. 24:12 - I dive into all five components of my marketing strategy, using myself as an example. 32:23 - I give a quick recap of the episode and your next action steps. Show Links
| |||
| 3 Areas to Think About When Defining Your Boundaries as CEO | 30 May 2024 | 00:56:37 | |
People keep asking for your time, energy, and attention. Someone invites you to an impromptu coffee date in the middle of something important or wants to meet up with you about something after business hours. But when it comes to your business, you need to learn to say no when necessary. You want to turn these types of things down but fear it’ll have a detrimental affect on your life or business. Maybe you’ll miss out on an opportunity or offend a client or potential business partner or friend. But there’s always a trade-off and saying yes to everything is really the thing that can hurt your business. The key to not doing that is the CEO’s best friend: boundaries. You need to set strong boundaries for yourself and your business and not waver on them. That (especially the not-wavering thing) sounds easier said than done, right? Well, in this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about the three different types of boundaries you as a business owner need to think about setting for yourself. You’ll also learn how to enforce and stick with your new boundaries. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 8:47 - The first boundary you need to examine is the biggest challenge I hear from women entrepreneurs. 12:32 - What is the flow state, and how do you get into it? 16:46 - How do you organize your calendar? I walk you through how I do mine as an example. 19:13 - I talk about how to manage clients when it comes to your calendar’s specificity, including emergency appointments. 23:40 - What about appointments for non-business related things (i.e. lunch with a friend or potential business referral)? 26:50 - So many of us struggle with constant communication. I discuss setting up your boundaries around this so you don’t make yourself seem available 24/7. 30:22 - How can you set expectations for your response turnaround time? Here’s how we do it through my preferred communication channel. 33:27 - I talk about boundaries around your non-preferred methods of business communication. 37:48 - How do you respond to questions? You might experience this particular scenario, especially as your business grows and you become known as an expert. 43:09 - Having clear, upfront boundaries saves you so much time and energy when dealing with sticky clients situations such as these. 48:24 - Feel free to do this with clients when necessary. But make sure it’s in your contract/client agreement. 52:02 - To wrap up the show, I give a quick recap of the three boundaries. Mentioned in 3 Areas to Think About When Defining Your Boundaries as CEO
| |||
| Wait! Are You Actually Ready To Scale Your Business? (Mistakes When People Attempt to Jump Into Scaling Too Quickly) | 23 Sep 2021 | 00:40:25 | |
With the availability of many social media platforms today, you'd think it would be fast and easy to launch any type of business. Reaching and selling to a lot of people seems to be a task you can easily tick off your to-do list as an entrepreneur. This is a misconception which many CEO aspirants fail to realize at the beginning. To get business going, we need to address this issue. To be able to start scaling your business, first, you must understand the basics of entrepreneurship. This is a crucial stage that no CEO aspirant should skip. What are the steps that you need to take in order to scale your business? In this episode, we identify the points which you need to tackle before you can even plan to make your business bigger. Join me as I dig deep into the foundations of a successful business. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 1:44 - I talk about being approached by entrepreneurs who have tried several tactics but are still unable to scale their business. 2:36 - Is there really a specific tactic needed to scale your business? 3:00 - I share my thought process in deciding business scaling readiness. 4:30 - What are the different stages of business growth? 6:23 - Find out why you're not getting the sales you were hoping for. 11:40 - I emphasize the importance of being clear about what your business offers. 13:40 - Pay attention to the people who respond to what you offer. You'll be surprised about what it can actually do for your business. 15:24 - Do you have a marketing system in place? How do you capture and nurture potential clients? 20:52 - How much time are you able to spend in marketing your business? 21:47 - I explain how to get clients to commit to your business offer. 27:45 - Persistence is key! 29:50 - What goes into building your support team? 30:42 - Have you built your business in the right structure? 34:59 - Learn the ways to make sure that your business is fully protected. 37:00 - Are you paying yourself a solid salary? 39:01 - I wrap up with some final thoughts. Show Links: | |||
| Using the Live Launch Method to Share Your Genius with Kelly Roach | 16 Sep 2021 | 00:37:33 | |
If you’ve ever done a full-scale launch of a product, program, or service, then you know how overwhelming the process can be. You’ve got to ensure that everything’s working correctly and all the different pieces of software do what they need to do (and in the right order). But is this the only way to get more sales and clients? If you’ve been burned by launches (or feel burned out at the very thought of them), then don’t fret. There’s a way to simplify launching, and I’ve brought on business strategist Kelly Roach to reveal how. During my conversation with her you’ll discover her live launch method to get clients and sales without the super complicated, super technical marketing approach. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 2:24 - I take you back to my earliest launching days and discuss why I absolutely had to have this conversation with Kelly. 7:16 - How did Kelly come up with the idea for creating a new approach to launches? Her own frustration and desperation drove her to it. 12:44 - Remember this every time you see a celebrity entrepreneur and feel the pressure to model yourself after them. 15:18 - Kelly describes what she means by a live launch and what it looks like in practicality. 18:59 - As someone watching from afar, there’s one thing I especially love about how Kelly does her live launches. Discover what it is and why it’s so important. 20:59 - What is social selling, and how does it fit into the live launch method? 22:53 - Kelly discusses how to run a live launch and sustain this way of marketing without burning yourself out. She reveals the 3 big elements of the live launch methodology. 27:39 - How does Kelly see the future of the online marketing industry? Those making their living from selling courses will especially want to pay attention to this! 30:50 - I wrap up the episode with some final thoughts. Show Links | |||
| Market Your Genius Confidently and Competently with Nikki Nash | 09 Sep 2021 | 00:47:03 | |
Raise your hand if you’ve never felt comfortable as a promoter of your business. Today’s episode is for you! I’m joined by speaker, Hay House author, marketing mentor, and dear friend Nikki Nash who’s written a new book called Market Your Genius. Nikki is here to share how she helps women entrepreneurs do business more confidently and package and leverage their expertise for real revenue growth. Her approach is one of the smartest ways of helping women I’ve heard yet, and I can’t wait for you to hear this conversation. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 5:39 - Nikki took a bit of a long, winding road to entrepreneurship. She gives a little background about herself. 10:33 - What makes Nikki’s approach to marketing your knowledge different from other mentors? 14:14 - Is Nikki’s approach the same as brand building? It’s similar, but she adds another layer to it that helps your business live beyond you. 17:31 - Nikki quickly describes the 3-step marketing genius process she walks people through. 19:52 - Here’s something people (many new entrepreneurs, especially) don’t realize about mindset, and business growth. 23:13 - How do trends and changes in marketing tactics fit into Nikki’s way of doing things? She discusses how solopreneurs need to approach social marketing differently. 31:13 - Nikki reveals another huge mistake so many entrepreneurs make that prevents them from gaining momentum. It’s tied to something that most marketers don’t talk about. 37:29 - Once, Nikki had a Facebook Live show she thought was a waste of time, so she quit. But, months later, it led to something... grand. 42:22 - I wrap up the episode with a few key takeaways Nikki and I discussed. Show Links | |||
| Pricing Your Genius to Perfectly Match Your Financial Goals with Jacquette Timmons | 02 Sep 2021 | 00:42:29 | |
Pricing is an uncomfortable subject for entrepreneurs that brings up all of our money mindset challenges. It often feels easier to just play safe when setting our price in order to not appear greedy to potential clients. So if pricing has ever been a sticking point for you, you’ll love today’s episode! I’ve invited my dear friend and financial behaviorist Jacquette Timmons to talk about the human side of money and how to determine the right price for us that honors what we do and helps us achieve our ultimate business and financial goals. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 6:59 - How did talking about the human side of pricing become such a huge part of Jacquette’s messaging? 9:33 - With money, Jacquette’s framework involves a few core areas to look at. Her process involves approaching them in a different, better way. 11:39 - Pricing has four jobs. What are we conditioned to do as entrepreneurs that needs reconsideration? 14:29 - Jacquette brings up another hard choice that women entrepreneurs can be confronted with. 16:49 - Jacquette reveals some common mistakes she’s seen people make when it comes to re-evaluating price points. 22:17 - Why has exclusivity and high-end service really stood the test of time, despite high prices? 27:50 - How does Jacquette help people approach the mindset block many have around raising prices? She provides two ways to shift your mindset, and one’s definitely easier than the other. 30:18 - We briefly discuss applying the “blue ocean strategy” to your business, as well as making another game changing move when the opportunity inevitably arises. Show Links
| |||
| Double Your Revenue Using a Most Crucial Business Asset with Layne Lyons | 31 Aug 2021 | 00:43:48 | |
When you need to grow your business, what do you do? Do you lock out the rest of the world and brainstorm new products, programs, or service ideas yourself, like so many entrepreneurs do? Big mistake! When you try to expand your business this way, you’re cutting out 100% of one of your most crucial assets: your existing customers and clients. In this bonus episode, my guest and CEO Collective member Layne Lyons tells us about how she’s on track to double her business by getting actual input from those already familiar with her business. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 5:17 - Layne describes her business before it underwent an amazing transformation and reveals her first business bottleneck. 9:39 - What did Layne do to resolve her first bottleneck? What was her experience like after she started putting some boundaries in place? 13:12 - Layne shares what it felt like to finally increase her price points and offers advice to those on the precipice of doing the same. 15:53 - A new offer has opened the door for Layne to double the revenue from her business. She reveals what it is and the journey she went on to get here. 21:31 - What happened when Layne launched her new offer? This demonstrates why asking your existing client base for new ideas is the easiest way to build your next offer. 25:21 - Layne describes how she and her business are different now thanks to the changes she’s implemented. 34:21 - How was Layne’s experience joining The CEO Collective? She offers an inside look. 37:09 - To wrap up, I highlight a few points Layne made about streamlining and simplifying her business to the point where she now works less and enjoys her life more. Show Links | |||
| Avoid Hustle and Burnout With the Hidden Money In Your Business | 26 Aug 2021 | 00:28:33 | |
You have money buried in your business somewhere. It doesn’t require you to gain more followers, run more ads, or hustle further to get your hands on it, either. It just involves taking advantage of the lowest hanging fruit in your business. In the last episode of this series on putting an end to hustle culture, burnout, and entrepreneurial poverty, I reveal the third and final strategy to sustainably grow your business. I can’t wait for you to unlock this one! On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 4:13 - I share a quick story and reveal the final secret to sustainable growth for your business. 7:50 - I expose the huge problem not being discussed in the business world right now. What could be the culprit? 9:35 - You need to nail these things to form the foundation for finding hidden money in your business. I see too many people ignore the last one. 14:24 - What simple offers can you provide your clients behind-the-scenes? I reveal one way to ensure your 1-on-1 clients fit perfectly for you. 18:47 - If you have past clients, what should you do next? Here are some other ways to discover hidden income opportunities. 22:52 - I sum up all of the main strategies I’ve highlighted in this episode series. Show Links
| |||
| From Struggling to Selling Out Offers: A Case Study with Leesa Klich | 24 Aug 2021 | 00:42:23 | |
You’re doing everything right. You’re offering a ton of content to get people in the door. But no matter what you do in your business, you only get a sale here or there. You’re just not seeing the results you want. So how can you make more sales? My guest today, CEO Collective founding member Leesa Klich, is a health writer and blogging expert who helps health and wellness professionals use engaging research-based content to build their practices. In this bonus episode, she reveals the strategic tweaks she made in the foundation of her business that took her from struggling to sell a thing to selling out her offers and generating her best revenue month ever. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 9:01 - Leesa shares the vision she had for herself that prompted the restructuring of her business model. 12:26 - How did Leesa transition from serving one person at a time to multiple people simultaneously while also raising her prices? 20:11 - Leesa reveals what she has and hasn’t done to market herself and her business. Introverts especially will want to pay attention to this! 24:43 - You can get stuck in this quagmire as an entrepreneur. What does it take to be the most successful possible in your marketing efforts? 28:03 - Leesa created an even bigger offer to sell. She discusses the process of how she came up with and then refined her idea for a white label course. 30:24 - How did Leesa feel about increasing her price point again with the introduction of her course? I had to really work with her to get her pricing mindset right on this. 33:32 - Leesa discusses her audience’s response upon launching the course and what increased her confidence in raising her price. 38:15 - What’s next for Leesa? She tells us where she’s most excited to put her focus for now and advice for anyone considering joining The CEO Collective. Show Links | |||
| Your Profit Road Map for More Sales & a Truly Sustainable Business | 19 Aug 2021 | 00:33:16 | |
What do you think you need to gain in order for your business to change and grow? Too often entrepreneurs get hyped up to chase vanity metrics like huge numbers of Instagram followers or email subscribers. Ultimately though, gaining five or 10 new clients is all you need to have a massive impact on your business. The simplest, easiest way for getting those clients isn’t something sexy or glamorous. It involves using a real strategy to invite people in, actually connect with them, and let them know how you can help. Continuing on with this series to avoid hustle and burnout, today I talk about the second strategy you need to adopt to grow a truly sustainable business. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:27 - I rant (again) about an issue in the business world that sets so many people up for failure. 5:18 - What is a predictable profit plan? It’s key to how I help entrepreneurs break out of the feast or famine cycle, so I walk you through how to put one together. 10:00 - I reveal the most important but least discussed part of a profit plan. If you don’t have this, it’ll break your business. 10:45 - People get so focused on marketing and sales that they forget about this piece of the puzzle and end up with a lot of unhappy clients. 15:00 - What will be your strategies for marketing, sales, and delivery? I use The CEO Collective as an example. 17:13 - Consider this if you have no idea when you should promote your signature offer. I give more examples from my business. 20:14 - Full upfront payment is awesome! But you’ll love extending payment plans to clients for this incredibly powerful reason. 25:04 - How can you ensure that you don’t experience a revenue gap? Show Links
| |||
| Increasing Profit and Decreasing Burnout: A Case Study with Sarah Young | 17 Aug 2021 | 00:46:13 | |
Undercharging and over-delivering can be a challenging habit to break. You have to come to terms with the idea of increasing your prices and overhauling your packaging structure. If you’re like my guest today and feel nervous about raising your prices, then listen up because I have a real-life case study for you! I interview CEO Collective member Sarah Young about her journey over the last 18 months where she increased her price points, decreased burnout, positioned herself differently than other bookkeepers and CPAs, and now enjoys her business more than ever. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 6:15 - What did Sarah’s business look like before she joined The CEO Collective? She reveals what prompted her to get into business for herself. 10:11 - Sarah feels like her pricing story is a little embarrassing, but she tells it anyway. Everybody has the same struggles, especially women. 14:27 - After some research, Sarah started raising her prices but still found herself burning out. Then something happened in January 2021 that changed her business. 21:28 - What did existing clients think after Sarah raised her price points? She discusses repackaging herself for higher-paying clients and framing a response to those who could no longer afford her. 27:13 - Sarah reveals something she had to come to terms with as she rebuilt her business from the ground up. 28:48 - Where did Sarah find higher-level clients willing to invest at her prices? If you think it’s super complicated, think again. 32:08 - Sarah shares what she sees happening financially with fast-growing businesses when they underprice themselves. 36:09 - How do you build in profitability in your pricing, especially as you hire and grow a team? Sarah offers her insight. 42:47 - Sarah shares what’s been the best part of being a member of The CEO Collective. Show Links | |||
| Why Underpricing (and Overdelivering) Is Creating Business Burnout | 12 Aug 2021 | 00:31:19 | |
We women entrepreneurs keep underpricing ourselves when offering the same service or product as our male counterparts. On average, we price up to 20% less. When I first heard that, I was blown away! Pricing is one of the quickest and most powerful ways to adjust your business trajectory and make it more sustainable. I’ve seen it in my business and those of my clients. So in this episode, I discuss why properly pricing your offers is the first step to designing a successfully sustainable business. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:36 - What is the feast or famine zone, and does your business fall into it? Discover the two biggest reasons why businesses in this zone struggle to compete. 8:40 - I demonstrate how underpricing can easily lead to overworking by using the example of a wedding photographer. 12:18 - Taking the wedding photographer example further, this simple step is an easy way to improve your profitability and ease burnout. 14:42 - What if you want to double your rates? You need to take a deeper look at these factors in your business. 17:42 - Pricing impacts other aspects of your business. Michalowicz’s Profit First percentages can help you figure out the math to meet your revenue goal. 20:43 - I push back against the hype of online gurus who have a certain mindset about pricing. There’s a reason why I primarily work with service providers. 23:50 - What if you’re not used to selling at a higher price or booking multiple sessions at a time per client? 26:55 - Here’s why you don’t need a large audience to get enough clients for your higher-priced programs and services. I give you a behind-the-scenes look. 28:52 - Keep these questions in mind as you crunch your numbers. Show Links
| |||
| 5 Elements That’ll Help You Define Your Role As CEO | 23 May 2024 | 00:58:56 | |
What does it mean to be CEO of your business anyway? When you start your business, you’re the marketing team, the sales team, the customer service team, the tech support, all of it. But over time, as your business grows and gets more established, you want to take some of this workload off your plate. Traditional CEOs have the people and teams in place to help them so they can focus on higher-value tasks and take their business to the next level. But how do you, as the CEO of a smaller business, build an environment that’ll sustainably do the same for you? How do you transition from the role of entrepreneur to the role of CEO? It all starts with getting clear on five elements that’ll help you figure out your role as CEO. In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about those elements that make up the job description of a traditional CEO and how to translate that for your small business. I’ll teach you the process to help you define your specific CEO role and reveal questions to help you determine your biggest value to your company. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 4:44 - Transitioning from solopreneur to CEO can be a challenge (and one I’ve faced multiple times). I explain why. 6:12 - What was Sara Blakely’s journey from solopreneur to CEO like? Here’s her story. 11:02 - What is the job description of a CEO? I share a process to help you define your role as CEO of your business. 18:58 - I talk about how we live one of my company's key values (“life comes before business”). 22:42 - Creating a strategic plan is part of your traditional CEO role. What does that look like for entrepreneurs running smaller companies? 26:07 - How do you lead your team as CEO of a small business? I use The CEO Collective as an example. 30:47 - The final piece that defines traditional CEOs is one of the hardest things about running your own company. (And you can’t crowdsource it, either). 35:44 - I quickly recap the five key elements of a traditional CEO role and how it impacts you as an entrepreneurial business owner. 37:43 - Ask yourself these questions to clarify what you need to be responsible for as a small business owner in your company. 45:57 - What do my essential CEO tasks of content, clients, and connections mean in my business? I share how I apply these to give you some clarity and insight. Mentioned in 5 Key Elements That’ll Help You Define Your Role As CEO
| |||
| How the Current Hustle Culture Creates Entrepreneurial Poverty for Women | 05 Aug 2021 | 00:27:51 | |
Celebrity entrepreneurs don’t do any favors with all their hustle talk, and despite everything you hear about escaping burnout and hustle culture, too many women entrepreneurs still can’t escape. They desperately need the cash flow in their business right now. So if you’re struggling to get your business working on all cylinders, keep listening. Today’s episode kicks off a new series to help you break free from entrepreneurial poverty of time, energy, and money so you can attain the sustainable success you desire. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:06 - People prescribe this antidote too often to the burnout problem. It’s creating a FOMO culture for an increasing number of women. 4:55 - I discuss the entrepreneurial poverty of time and what it looks like for women business owners. 9:42 - Energy poverty is HUGE right now. How does this impact you as a female entrepreneur? 13:07 - While lack of money is easy to point to, it doesn’t just have an effect on you financially. 14:16 - I see so many women in the middle stage of their business succumb to this cycle. Why do some stay stuck in it for years? 17:17 - I quickly overview what’s coming up next in this new podcast series of episodes. Show Links | |||
| CEO Level Boundaries with Heather Chauvin | 29 Jul 2021 | 00:42:47 | |
Have you ever told yourself you’ll make time to do something when your life calms down a bit? Did you promise to start focusing on your health, go work out, practice more self-care, and so on when you have the space to fit it into your schedule? Then you need to listen to this special episode with my business friend, podcast host, and author, Heather Chauvin. In our conversation, she and I talk about why you must stop putting yourself on hold and why the time to prioritize your needs is now. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 7:08 - Heather describes what led to her changing perspective for how she wanted to show up in life and business. 13:21 - Heather makes a surprising claim about her ordeal with cancer and her health today. 15:53 - Instead of focusing on money, Heather now filters everything she does and allows in her life based on this concept. 18:59 - Why did Heather have to remove herself from “mom culture”? 22:18 - Heather discusses the mindset shift that finally ended her struggle to embody the concept of feeling good. 25:48 - It can be hard to reprogram yourself, but you’ve probably seen people everywhere discuss this process as a way to get there. 29:00 - What are some simple things Heather recommends to start with that can add up and make an impact on your stress levels over time? 32:43 - Pay attention to gender roles. Heather describes her difficult time loosening her grip on domestic duties. 38:39 - How does over-mothering, over-nurturing, or over-delivering show up in your personal life and business? Show Links | |||
| Recharging Your Human Battery with Dr. Crystal Frazee | 22 Jul 2021 | 00:57:02 | |
Imagine being so exhausted at the end of the week that you immediately put on your pajamas, pour yourself a glass (or two) of wine, and crash. By the time the last few hours of the day arrive, you’re just completely drained and have no energy for anything. Then you start all over again on Monday morning! This cycle impacts our lives and our business in a big way. In today’s episode, my guest Dr. Crystal Frazee talks about how we can learn to tune into our body’s battery and figure out which activities and interactions deplete and increase our charge. Then we can make smarter decisions that have us show up more pleasantly and powerfully on a daily basis. Get ready for a game-changing conversation! On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 6:38 - Crystal found out the true cause of women’s complex illnesses and pains. It turned her practice around. 11:22 - Crystal focuses on calling out this underlying issue causing us to busy ourselves to the point of burnout. 15:49 - How do you know when you’re being taken off track? Crystal covers three areas to pay attention to so you can recognize signs of your body’s battery depletion. 21:12 - Even though you’re on a 24-hour cycle, you shouldn’t let your charge hit 0%. These technological tools help you keep track. 31:16 - Find out what you can do to recharge your battery. Crystal breaks her program down into three parts. 36:00 - When you have signs of burnout, how long can it take you to recover? 37:35 - As a parent of young kids, I initially fought against bettering my sleep, but here’s what I did to improve. 40:17 - Don’t do this if you want better sleep to come easily to you. It’s the antithesis of your body’s nature. 42:44 - Crystal discusses implementing boundaries so we can care for ourselves better and keep charged up. She even walks us through a short exercise. 48:30 - What signals a strong yes or no for you? Here’s how most people can tell. 50:19 - Pay attention to these two concepts related to boundaries and caring for your body battery. 53:30 - Crystal reveals what you must remember whenever you decide to say no. Show Links | |||