The Boss Mom Podcast

Sometimes as women, parents and entrepreneurs we need a fresh perspective to help us find what we need to move forward in life and business. Oftentimes we pay lots of money to coaches and masterminds to help us gain that perspective…but what if we could learn big, life-changing things from movies? In this episode I'm sharing five must-see movies that I think might just change your life and perspective as a mom entrepreneur (and at the very least, give you an enjoyable evening with a glass of wine!) Click here to check out the show notes for this episode.

In this episode I'm sharing 3 juicy reasons why so many launches fail so you can make sure you don't do them the next time you plan to launch something! To access the show notes mentioned, click here.

Sometimes life and business can take interesting turns, and in this episode I'm talking with the lovely Jenny Stemmerman, creator of the Your Life Rocks podcast, all about how to find and embrace success in surprising places! Jenny describes herself as a "recovering workaholic" who spent over a decade climbing up the corporate ladder while the rest of her life took the back burner and fell completely out of balance. She decided to make a change in her life, create systems to help her create more balance, and now she is passionate about teaching those systems to other Christian working moms through her company, Your Life Rocks, while also running an escape room (yes, seriously!) in Oregon with her husband.

In this episode we're dishing up some seriously helpful tips and strategies for creating and launching successful offerings in your business. If you've struggled to have successful launches or want to make sure you do it right the first time, this one is a must-listen!

If you're not yet familiar with Pat Flynn, Creator & Host of the Smart Passive Income podcast, this episode is going to give you a lightening fast introduction to who he is, what he stands for and how knowing him has personally and professional left a lasting impact on me. In this episode I'm sharing five specific things I've learned from the example Pat has set as an entrepreneur, a husband, a dad and a human being in general. I hope you'll glean some helpful wisdom yourself and encourage you to go like, listen and follow along with Pat - your life and your business will be better for it, guaranteed! To access the show notes for this episode, click here.

In this episode NJ and I are joined by Laura Roeder, the Founder & CEO of Edgar, a revolutionary social media scheduling tool that changed the way business owners are able to share social media content. During our conversation you'll hear all about Laura's journey to starting her company, becoming a mom and how using innovation to solve problems can be so powerful in growing your business and changing the world.

In this Nurture Your Business segment I decided to bring in my personal life coach Valerie Friedlander, Founder of The Unlimited Mom, to talk about how sometimes you need to think outside the box when it comes to how you're investing in yourself and your business. I truly credit my work with Valerie with helping me make valuable discoveries and learn to honor myself, my family and my business through a difficult year filled with many challenges, which you'll hear all about in this episode.

In this episode I'm joined by the amazing ladies from the All Up In Your Lady Business Podcast to chat about the importance of developing a personal brand and how to leverage it to gain visibility and grow your business. To check out the show notes for this episode click here.

Whether you're brand new to business or you've been in business awhile, figuring out what to offer your clients and customers can be a challenge. In this episode I'm going to break down some practical tips and wisdom based on experience for mapping out what should come next for you and your business.

In this episode we're talking all about how to create offline business connections and leverage your business in offline settings in order to grow.

In this episode we're talking all about whether or not to leverage your Facebook group (or Facebook groups in general) to grow your business, and if so, how to go about doing it properly without coming across as "salesy."

In this episode I'm joined by the amazing Natalie Eckdahl, Founder of the Biz Chix Podcast, and we are chatting all about hosting and leveraging live events to connect with your community and grow your business. If you've been thinking about hosting a live event of your own, or you're interested in hearing more about what goes on behind the scenes of planning live events, this one is a must-listen for sure.

Does selling in your business feel scary or uncomfortable? If so, know that you're not alone. This is something I hear all the time from my clients and community, so in this episode I am going to share a little bit of money mindset wisdom that I hope will help you begin to reframe how you think and feel about both money and selling.

Something that is usually a universal challenge for moms everywhere is getting our kids to sleep. That's why I'm so pumped about this bonus episode because I'm joined by Susie Parker, founder of Baby Sleep Love and Certified Sleep Consultant, and she's answering all of my questions about how to get our kids to sleep and do the right things without feeling bad about doing it. She covers how to figure out what works and what doesn't for you and your kids and talking with her really left me feeling understood and encouraged.

Some of the greatest things in history have been the product of collaborations done well: peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, Jay-Z and Beyoncé....well, you get the idea! In this episode NJ and I are chatting all about the power of collaborations, how to find the right ones for you, and how to choose them based on your priorities in your business. If you're ready for more collaborations in your life or to start engaging in better collaborations, this one is a must-listen.

Sometimes when we need clarity in our lives and business, the first place we should look isn't somewhere external, but rather the experiences we've been through personally in our own lives. In this episode I'm going to share a very personal story and how going through that experience led me to see my business and approach my business in an entirely different way. It led to me recognizing the value and importance of honoring the things we create in our businesses by giving them time, space and single-minded focus, and how we can truly begin to grow our businesses more by doing less.

Since the beginning of time, people have been asking themselves questions like, "Who am I? Why am I that way? What am I here for?" and as Boss Moms our answers to these questions play a huge part in both how we live our lives and run our businesses. In today's episode I'm so excited to invite you into this awesome conversation about finding your soul language, with Laura Greco, a coach for women who are ready for a more conscious, connected, and soulful way to raise their children. Laura stands the overstretched business mom, who wants to create growth, ease and peace for herself and her whole family through a more confident, intuitive approaching to life, parenting and business.

In case you haven't noticed, several big, successful online entrepreneurs have been shutting down their big, successful Facebook groups left and right lately. (Don't worry, the Boss Moms Facebook group isn't going anywhere!) But it begs the question....could Facebook groups be dead?? In this episode I'm sharing why I think Facebook groups are totally still alive and well, and how you can leverage the power of a well-run Facebook group to successfully gain visibility, create community and grow your business. Listen + subscribe on iTunes // Stitcher In This Episode You'll Hear: The pros and cons (I'm being totally honest here!) about running a Facebook group Why Facebook groups can be integral to cultivating a thriving community and movement behind your business The #1 most important thing to make sure you do when starting or growing your group Common mistakes business owners make when trying to run Facebook groups Practical tips for starting (or growing) your own Facebook group How we grew the Boss Moms Facebook group to over 20K in less than a year and a half Referenced in the Show: Boss Moms Facebook Group Stacy Tuschl, She's Building Her Empire Sasha Gray's Facebook Page Boss Mom's Guide to Starting & Growing Your Own Facebook Group (on pre-sale for just $47 through August 7th!) Sponsor Spotlight: Boss Mom Retreat This epic event taking place October 15-16th in Charlotte, NC is specifically for all Boss Moms (or Future Boss Moms!) looking to raise and nurture their businesses and families at the same time. Just imagine a mastermind, a spa day and a dance party all had a baby and that would be this event…trust me, it'll be unlike anything you've ever experienced! The Boss Mom Retreat isn't a conference, but is actually a place for you to connect and engage with other amazing Boss Moms while working ON your business and moving it forward. Whether you have a product or service based business, or you have local or online clients, this retreat will help you gain clarity and confidence in your business….not to mention make friends, find clients and have a total blast! Click here to register today before tickets sell out. Connect with Dana Dana: Instagram / Boss Mom Facebook Community (her total happy place) We love hearing from you! If you've got a question about today's episode or want to leave us some inbox love, you can email us at [email protected]. Or, you can always find Dana hanging out in her happy place, the Boss Mom Facebook Community. We would also LOVE it if you'd leave a podcast rating or review for us on iTunes! We know it can be kind of tricky to figure out, so here are a few step-by-step instructions on how to leave an iTunes rating or review for a podcast from your iPhone or iPad. Launch Apple's Podcast app. Tap the Search tab. Enter the name of the podcast you want to rate or review. Tap the blue Search key at the bottom right. Tap the album art for the podcast. Tap the Reviews tab. Tap Write a Review at the bottom. Enter your iTunes password to login. Tap the Stars to leave a rating. Enter title text and content to leave a review. Tap Send.

Networking has often gotten a bad rep in the world of business for being slimy or disingenuous, and for all you introverts out there, likely makes you want to jump out of your skin. But in today's episode NJ and I are diving into a discussion about the new world of networking, why networking can be a powerful propeller for your business, and how to approach it strategically so you can effectively grow your business.

As a business owner (and a human being in general) it's natural to desire to be respected. But it's important that we are mindful of how we're garnering the respect we receive. I recently heard the question, "do you demand respect or command respect" and I just love it. the two words seem pretty similar, but there are some distinct differences that I'm going to walk through in this episode today.

Do you self care? Do you think you self care well? As parents and entrepreneurs we often think of ourselves last, which means that our personal self care often comes last. And I'm not just talking manicures and pedicures. I'm talking about how we're taking care of our bodies, minds and souls - how we're treating ourselves. Today I'm joined by the lovely Erin Kendall, an American Council on Exercise Certified Personal Trainer with 2 little toddlers at home. While juggling a household, two kids, three pets and maintaining a little sense of self she hopes to bring a ray of hope and sunshine to other busy moms through her company, Fit Mom Go. Erin has been a personal trainer since 2009 and works with clients in person, online and maintains a community of other Fit Moms through an easy to follow workout program!

Influencer marketing is an industry that has grown leaps and bounds over the years as online business and e-commerce have boomed, so today I want to talk about the "new"world of influencer marketing and how you can leverage it to build both your community and your business.

In this episode we are talking about a few of the tools we use and love to systemize and streamline collaborating with other people in both our lives and businesses. If you've ever wished that collaborating weren't so complicated or overwhelming, be sure to tune in!

My new book, Confessions of a Boss Mom (which just hit #1 on Amazon for Motivational Self Help!) is what inspired this episode, and I think it's something that's important to talk about because it's something that doesn't impact just us, but also everyone else around us. This is a quick, fundamental episode touching on a key way I think we should approach life, that I think will make a difference in how we feel about ourselves, how we feel about others, how we raise our children, and how we engage in our businesses.

As many of you know, I'm currently in the thralls of getting certified in an appreciative inquiry program through L.E.A.F and it's all about owning and leveraging your strengths, in life and business. It focuses on the idea that when we leverage our strengths together that they outweigh the weaknesses in our systems, personalities and what we put out into the world. Instead of measuring where we are weak, what if we started measuring where we are strong and focusing more of our attention there? Well, my guest on the podcast this week cares an awful lot about your strengths and I'm so pumped to share this episode with you. Alissa Daire Nelson is an accomplished speaker, author, podcaster and Certified Strengths Strategy Coach, but more than anything else she's an exceedingly proud wife and mother of two, who loves helping others discover how to make their businesses and relationships thrive in harmony. Let's stop measuring where we are weak, and instead measure where we are strong. That's how we should be seeing our capabilities and our opportunities, not from where we're failing and what we need to fix, but from how to do more of what we're doing well and excelling at. No matter who you are or where you're at in your business, this episode will be relevant to you and it might just shift the way you think about yourself, your business and the place you're at in the world, in a way that could be more beneficial and productive for you.

In this episode I'm breaking down a core element from my latest book, Confessions of a Boss Mom, which is all about knowing your circles of understanding to know how to leverage the connections and relationships in your life. Understanding this concept will literally change how you see the world and do life and business, so jump in, grab and pen and piece of paper to take notes, and don't forget to check out the new Confessions of a Boss Mom book for even more juicy goodness just like this.

Growing up and as a young adult, my dad was always telling me to "dress for the job you want." And honestly, I was always pretty resistant to it. But years later, I've come to believe that this phrase is one of the most important phrases to live by and embrace as entrepreneurs. In this episode I'm going to share why I changed my mind about this particular phrase, and how I think you can apply it to how you're living life and doing business.

Over the years I've learned that so many boss moms out there have issues surrounding money and how to grow a profitable business. That's why I'm beyond pumped about our guest today, the amazing Hilary Hendershoot, host of Profit Boss Radio, a weekly podcast for women and money. Hilary has an MBA, is a Certified Financial Planner, a TedX speaker and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, NBC, ABC, FOX, DailyWorth, Forbes and Investopedia. She was recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 Entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, and with more than 30 television appearances, she's the go-to personal finance expert in Silicon Valley for the NBC evening news where they call her "The Investor's Voice of Reason." We have a really fun, really interesting conversation all about business, money, mindset, program development and so much more, so get ready to dive in and have a freaking blast learning how to be a profit boss!

Are you someone that struggles to be disciplined in your business when it comes to following through on the things that will really move you forward? In this episode we are exploring how to apply the same principles for teaching your children discipline, to learning to be disciplined in your business.

Recently we unveiled the brand new Boss Mom Website, including a fabulous new resources page created to help you clarify which tools you need and when you need them, depending on where exactly you are in your business. As your business, products and services morph and grow, the tools you need will likely change too, but figuring out how they should change and in what order you should start and stop using tools can be tricky to figure out. In this episode I'm going to help you gain confidence in choosing the best tools for where you're at and help you feel good about the money you're spending, by breaking down six questions to ask yourself when making these decisions.

Facebook ads are something we all know we'll need to use at some point in our business journey, but it can be really challenging to figure them out because we either don't have someone showing us the way OR they just aren't our jam. Well, if Facebook ads have ever had you crying on the bathroom floor, you're going to love this episode because I'm joined by the lovely Becky Burgess, owner of Splash Owl Media, a social media marketing agency specializing in Facebook, and she's providing tons of answers to the loads of questions I threw her way (that I'm sure you've been wondering yourself too!)

For many of us Boss Moms, figuring out how to get work done while our kids are at home is a daily reality (and no easy feat!) In this episode NJ and I are discussing strategies and tips for actually being productive and getting things done while the kids are home for a sick day, a snow day, a summer, or all the time.

Raise your hand if you're one of those entrepreneurs who constantly has a barrage of ideas flowing through your brain at any given moment? I can totally relate, which is why I'm diving into the topic of how to handle having all those ideas without letting them clog up your brain and productivity.

For the first time ever I am welcoming a repeat guest onto the podcast because we were recently talking about something that I just knew you ladies needed to hear. In this episode I'm joined by the lovely Samantha Rodgers from Eating Clean, Cooking Dirty about strategies and tactics to literally save and create more time in your life. This one is relevant to anyone, and everyone, so be sure to tune in and share it far and wide!

So often there are things we will experience as Boss Moms that might trigger some guilt. Those times when you catch yourself enjoying your business more than your family....that'll do it! But we believe this subject is totally normal and shouldn't be taboo, so we're diving right in and opening up a conversation about what to do and how to deal with those times where you're more excited about your business than about your family.

One of the toughest things as an entrepreneur, especially one who is just starting out, is figuring out what the heck to create or offer. With a million awesome ideas swirling around in our heads, we want to do #allthethings. But it's super important to make sure you're building your business in the right order so you can grow most effectively. In this episode I'm going to walk you through the 3 main things you need to know before creating your programs, and the 3-phase process you need to move through when creating your offerings.

In this episode I'm joined by Julie Ford, a certified coach, trainer and author of Creating Time & Energy, a workbook that supports "crazy busy" working parents so they can live more "intentionally full" lives and enjoy every stage before the kids leave the nest ready to live well. Throughout our conversation, you'll hear Julie share her unique journey through Boss Mom life, how she learned to roll with the punches and make lemonade from lemons, and how she's funneling her passions into helping women just like you and me create more time and energy for the things that matter in life.

When it comes to talking to your spouse, significant other, accountant, team or anyone else about your business, finances and all the things that are working and not working, you might feel like crying and you might not want to do it. We are going to talk today about how to have the tough conversations (and not cry!) because it's an important skill to develop and takes both intention and practice.

In this episode I'm going to dive into four core concepts from a beloved children's book, The Pout Pout Fish, that can totally be applied to learning how to build and run successful businesses.

In this episode I'm joined by video and YouTube strategist Trena Little, whose passion is helping online business owners create a video content strategy that works for their business. Being a busy business owner herself, Trena understands the importance of making video simple and painless, but effective and lasting. I just love that she describes her Youtube videos as being her "sales team" and they do the heavy lifting for free (seriously, how cute is that?!) By the end of our chat together, you'll hear it become really clear to me that I want to jump in with Youtube (pssst, Boss Mom TV anyone?!) and whether you're already doing video in your business or not, I know you'll walk away with some valuable tips and strategies to leverage Youtube in your business.

We are nearly halfway through this year, so NJ and I thought it would be the perfect time to revisit the goals we set at the start of the year. Doing check-ins with yourself and your goals is a brilliant way to keep yourself on track, reign yourself back in if you've gotten off track, and it can help you see all the progress that has been made, even if you're still feeling like there's a long way to go still.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to find yourself in a sales funnel without realizing it? It happens to us all the time. We grab on to that thing that sounded great and we wanted, and all of a sudden we find ourselves in a funnel! While sales funnels can sometimes feel scary, and have gotten a bad name at times, funnels are actually a beautiful thing when approached correctly. In this episode I'm joined by Dawn Marrs of Marrs Marketing and we are chatting all about how to navigate your way through funnels and create funnels that work - for you and your ideal customers!

To celebrate another year of making my way around the sun, I thought it would be fun to reflect on and share the 10 best pieces of advice I can think of that sum up how I live my life and why I think we've been able to create so much success with Boss Mom. So, here it is....all my juicy bits of wisdom, downloaded just for you!

In today's highly socialized culture, it can feel like system overload trying to figure out how, when and where to leverage the power of live social media for your business. But, we know we're supposed to do it....right? Well, in this episode NJ and I are sharing a little about how we approach "going live" in our businesses and a few practical bits of wisdom and strategy to help you figure out how to incorporate live broadcasting into your overall business plan with a little more ease.

For this Nurture Your Business segment I decided to bring in the lovely Monica Froese, Founder of Redefining Mom and Creator of Busy Moms Building and Pin Practical to chat all about Pinterest strategy! This is not an area of expertise for me personally, but Pinterest is totally a tool that can be invaluable to you and your business, so I wanted to bring in someone with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in leveraging the platform effectively. In This Episode You'll Hear: How Monica got her start using Pinterest and why she's chosen to focus so much energy on leveraging the platform to grow her business The keys to implementing a successful Pinterest strategy (ie: being consistent, using good SEO, creating clickable images, etc) How to convert your Pinterest traffic into email list subscribers and paying customers All about Monica's Pinterest masterclass, Pin Practical, which she is offering an awesome 25% off discount code when you purchase using this link. Referenced in the Show: Tailwind Pin Practical Connect with Dana & Monica Dana: Instagram / Boss Mom Facebook Community (her total happy place) Monica: Website / Instagram / Facebook We love hearing from you! If you've got a question about today's episode or want to leave us some inbox love, you can email us at [email protected]. Or, you can always find Dana hanging out in her happy place, the Boss Mom Facebook Community. We would also LOVE it if you'd leave a podcast rating or review for us on iTunes! We know it can be kind of tricky to figure out, so here are a few step-by-step instructions on how to leave an iTunes rating or review for a podcast from your iPhone or iPad. Launch Apple's Podcast app. Tap the Search tab. Enter the name of the podcast you want to rate or review. Tap the blue Search key at the bottom right. Tap the album art for the podcast. Tap the Reviews tab. Tap Write a Review at the bottom. Enter your iTunes password to login. Tap the Stars to leave a rating. Enter title text and content to leave a review. Tap Send.

In this episode I am chatting with Monica Froese all about the realities of being a working mom, the plethora of things that need to be changed in corporate company culture and how women can create better work arrangements for themselves and their families. Monica Froese is a mom, wife, author, and entrepreneur with an MBA degree in finance and a wildly popular blog, Redefining Mom, that she writes to empower working moms to find flexible work arrangements. She has traveled to the White House to discuss family-friendly workplace policies and helps moms find their version of balance through building online businesses and escape the 9-5. Monica has a wealth of knowledge to share and this conversation ended up being such a cool back and forth dialogue about both of our corporate experiences, and how we can all play a part in changing the game for working moms everywhere. In This Episode You'll Hear: How experiencing postpartum PTSD from a traumatic birth and being expected back at work fueled Monica's passion for empowering working women, and her desire to work for herself, on her terms. How she got her first big "break" that ended up getting her invited to the White House to participate in a Working Families roundtable event honoring people who have made a difference in the country for family-friendly policy. Why and how she has chosen to structure her life and business in a way that works for her Referenced in the Show: Busy Moms Building Course Pin Practical Masterclass Facebook Community (Just FYI, some of these links may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using the links I may receive some love in return!) Connect with Dana & Monica Dana: Instagram / Boss Mom Facebook Community (her total happy place) Monica: Website / Instagram / Facebook We love hearing from you! If you've got a question about today's episode or want to leave us some inbox love, you can email us at [email protected]. Or, you can always find Dana hanging out in her happy place, the Boss Mom Facebook Community. We would also LOVE it if you'd leave a podcast rating or review for us on iTunes! We know it can be kind of tricky to figure out, so here are a few step-by-step instructions on how to leave an iTunes rating or review for a podcast from your iPhone or iPad. Launch Apple's Podcast app. Tap the Search tab. Enter the name of the podcast you want to rate or review. Tap the blue Search key at the bottom right. Tap the album art for the podcast. Tap the Reviews tab. Tap Write a Review at the bottom. Enter your iTunes password to login. Tap the Stars to leave a rating. Enter title text and content to leave a review. Tap Send.

In this episode we are having a little bit of fun diving in to answer the question, "What would you have done differently?" We're talking life, business and beyond as we let you in on the things we've learned over the years as boss moms and how we would have done things differently to produce different outcomes. Referenced in the Show: Dawn Marrs All Up in Your Lady Business Adoption Star Julie Stoian Alexa Bigwarfe Chandler Bolt Lisa Jo Baker Julie Ball, Sparkle Hustle Grow (Just FYI, some of these links may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using the links I may receive some love in return!) Sponsor Spotlight: Trello Have you been introduced you to what I call my "work wife" yet? If not, let me make the introduction. Meet Trello– the magical unicorn of amazingness that allows me to run my life, business and team with ease without completely and totally losing my mind (what's left of it anyway). I believe every person with a life, home and business needs an awesome (and free!) place to manage their projects, schedules, homes and teams and keep everything important in their lives in one central spot that can be revisited time and time again while giving access to anyone else that needs it. I love and believe in Trello so much that I created a super amazing, in-depth (free!) training that gives you a behind-the-scenes look into how exactly I use Trello to keep everything working like a well-oiled machine. Check it out here. I promise your life will never be the same. Connect with Dana & NJ Dana: Instagram / Boss Mom Facebook Community (her total happy place) NJ : Website / Instagram (her total happy place) We love hearing from you! If you've got a question about today's episode or want to leave us some inbox love, you can email us at [email protected]. Or, you can always find Dana hanging out in her happy place, the Boss Mom Facebook Community. We would also LOVE it if you'd leave a podcast rating or review for us on iTunes! We know it can be kind of tricky to figure out, so here are a few step-by-step instructions on how to leave an iTunes rating or review for a podcast from your iPhone or iPad. Launch Apple's Podcast app. Tap the Search tab. Enter the name of the podcast you want to rate or review. Tap the blue Search key at the bottom right. Tap the album art for the podcast. Tap the Reviews tab. Tap Write a Review at the bottom. Enter your iTunes password to login. Tap the Stars to leave a rating. Enter title text and content to leave a review. Tap Send.

Full disclosure: you're about to hear from four women packed into one hotel room, chatting it up, laughing, and talking over each other into one mic. It is kind of epic - but also filled with some golden nuggets of goodness. Tune in to hear from Stacy Tuschl of She's Building Her Empire, Brandy Salazar from Balance is Possible, and Rachel Adams of Lost 2 Found in 90 Days. For additional show notes visit BossMom.com and don't forget to leave a rating and review to make sure others like you can find our show!

Branding is kind of a big thing in the world of an entrepreneur and it's something you want to make sure to get right so that you are set apart and set up to successfully connect and communicate with the right people. But honestly? Branding can go so much further beyond business, which is something I'm chatting about with my lovely guest, Cathy Olson. Cathy has been beautifying brands and designing experiences of digital delight for over 17 years, including working with multi-million dollar brands. Now as founder of Love Inspired, an international branding and web design studio with a boutique approach, she helps creatives package their expertise in a way that excites eyes, hugs hearts, and cues cha-chings. Cathy's Boss Mom Journey Cathy starts off by sharing that she's been a creative person her whole life and always had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to do with her life. Her aunt was a graphic designer and her grandpa was an architect, so she grew up seeing people get paid to do art and knew she wanted to get into doing some kind of commercial art. She's now been a graphic designer for the past 17 years and went out on her own nearly 10 years ago. Though she started working with bigger brands, which had a lot of advantages, at the end of the day she felt like it was always about the bottom line and the experience lacked the kind of heart and passion she was looking for. When she got engaged she started creating custom wedding invitations on the side to help pay for her wedding, but never planned for it to be an actual business. Eventually though, she had two full-time gigs on her hands and she had to make a decision. In 2008 she quit her "cushy" job at the heigh of the economic recession, which she was criticized for at the time. But when deciding between working with the bigger companies or working with amazing, passion-driven clients in the wedding industry, it was a no-brainer for her. Luckily she made the right decision, because just four months later the company she had been working for ended up doing a bunch of layoffs and she's certain she would have been included. Ever since then she's been doing her thing, and growing Love Inspired into what it is today. Her focus now is really helping the business owners who are in spaces that feel overcrowded and like no one's listening. Together, they work to create a brand and website that is different and unique, that stands out and makes a real impact instead of just being "one of the many." Important Things to Consider When Building Your Website After so many years in this industry, and being an entrpreneur herself, Cathy has a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to creating beautiful, functional websites that convert like crazy and reach the right people with your message. She talks about how people often go straight into design without first bearing in mind user experience. She suggests starting with the journey you want to take people on in mind first, then figuring out how to beautify that journey. Your homepage is the place where you want to make a lasting impression and answer everyone's primary question: "am I in the right spot?" Another important thing is making sure to clearly share who you are and what you do....but in a way that makes it about them, not you. They are the ones you're trying to guide through a journey of recognizing their need or desire for you, not the other way around. Cathy also stresses the power of eliminating overwhelm when creating your website. Focusing on making your website user experience as streamlined and guided as possible will help you so much in the long run. You need to be tracking your analytics (what are the paths most traveled) so you can be strategic about how to connect with them and create the end result. Think about their journey. Tools That Cathy Loves & Recommends Google Analytics App Sumo Hot Jar Something brilliant that Cathy shared is that there is variability between people's conscious and subconscious, which means people will tell you things that are different from what they are actually doing. Using tools to actually track and see what people are doing on your website helps you be strategic about how to connect with them and create the end result you want. Referenced in the Show: Love Inspired Website Content Roadmap Cow by Bear (Just FYI, some of these links may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using the links I may receive some love in return!) Sponsor Spotlight: Trello Have you been introduced you to what I call my "work wife" yet? If not, let me make the introduction. Meet Trello– the magical unicorn of amazingness that allows me to run my life, business and team with ease without completely and totally losing my mind (what's left of it anyway). I believe every person with a life, home and business needs an awesome (and free!) place to manage their projects, schedules, homes and teams and keep everything important in their lives in one central spot that c