The Boss Mom Podcast

We're all told we should save more and spend less. However, while budgeting helps, does it build wealth? Why should we take a look at our assets and liabilities instead? And what should we do to pour our money in investments that generate income instead of just paying off loans? In this episode, Natali Morris talks about how to build wealth by adding more performing assets to our lives. For most people, their only performing asset is their body. -Natali Morris 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Budgeting doesn't build wealth (21:00-22:20) Saving money keeps us afloat, but it doesn't bring financial freedom. Instead of budgeting all the time and trying to save each penny, we should look into what we can do to grow our income. Avoid throwing your income at liabilities (22:30-25:00) Most of our income goes towards our liabilities to pay for assets that don't generate any income. Instead of throwing money at assets that don't generate money, we need to look into ways to increase the number of assets we have. Most of us have one asset: our labor. Identify your limiting beliefs (26:30-28:00) Every journey should begin with identifying limiting beliefs about how much income we can generate. Otherwise, we'll end up repeating the same financial patterns. We also have to come up with a freedom number. How much money do we have to make in order to leave our day job? Guest Bio- Natalie Morris is a broadcaster, writer, the anchor of Code Forward on MSNBC, and a contributor for CNBC. Her specialties are business, technology, and personal finance, and her mission is to share with others how they can generate income, invest, and build wealth. Her writing was published in Consumer Reports, WIRED, Variety Magazine, MarketWatch, TechCrunch, The San Francisco Examiner, PC Magazine, ELLEgirl, and many others You can find her book How To Pay Off Your Mortgage In 5 Years here.

If an offer is always available, there's no rush for our potential clients to buy, and they might forget about us altogether. How can we implement the notion of scarcity of time? Why is a countdown timer a must? What are the other two types of scarcity, and how can we combine them? In this episode, I talk about why scarcity helps us sell more and how to implement it. Scarcity brings you back on the priority list, back in focus, and makes people make decisions. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Taking advantage of the scarcity of time involves discounting offers or bonuses for a limited period. The number one scarcity tactic is when we only make an offer to the first few people who buy our products and services. The scarcity of price strategy is usually paired with the scarcity of time. This tactic involves a discounted offer but only for a limited period of time or under certain conditions. We often ignore how important it is for people to see how much time they have left until an offer is no longer available. A countdown timer is a vital part of the offer because it increases people's sense of urgency. If we use a timer, our audience can see when the offer expires, which makes it easier for them to prioritize.

Selling is one of the hardest parts of being a business owner, but it's also a necessity. How can we sell without being salesy? What does good selling look like? What alternatives are there for introverts? In this episode, Kendrick Shope talks about how we can sell with integrity while improving or ability to sell. In order to passionately pursue and get what you want, you need to know what that is. -Kendrick Shope 3 Things We Learned From This Episode The two steps of selling (10:35-11:22) Sales is a people-based process, and the first two steps of selling are prospecting and engaging. Many business owners think selling is all about overcoming objections when in fact it's about solving problems. Good selling involves helping people, not pushing them towards a sale. We shouldn't tweak something if we don't know how it works (25:50-27:00) When we purchase books, courses, or get advice from sales professionals, we have to follow it thoroughly. We should only tweak the script once we've had some success to prove that we understand the process. There are sales strategies suitable for introverts as well (27:49-30:06) One of the biggest fears many of us have when it comes to sales is getting on a call. Yet, selling doesn't necessarily require phone calls. There are other ways we can sell that are more comfortable for us. In most cases, bad experiences can be avoided if we stick to the script because we sound professional and aren't forced to reinvent the formula. Guest Bio Kendrick Shope is the CEO and creator of Authentic Selling. She's also an author, speaker, media personality, and Radio/Podcast host. She was featured as a guest expert on NBC, Lady Business Radio, The Daily Times, and many others. Her mission is to empower other women to sell without sacrificing an ounce of integrity. You can find her 10 keys to double your sales in 6 months for free HERE.

Business routines are challenging to build because there's always that fear of missing out or making mistakes. Why isn't there a size-fits-all routine we can all follow? Why should we ask ourselves questions instead of using to-do lists? Why is it important to always keep an eye on generating new leads? In this episode, I talk about 3 questions I ask myself every day before I start working. In the realm of making money, knowing what are you going to sell and how you are going to sell is extremely important. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode The first thing we should ask ourselves in the morning is, "Do we have anything that needs to get done in order for someone else to do their job?" If we skip this step, we slow down everyone else on our team, so it's important to get this out of the way. The second question is linked to our most important projects: "What is the next task we need to complete in order to move the project forward?" Ideally, we should have up to 3 projects if we work with a team and one project if we work alone. The third question is, "What can we do today to ensure we're making money?" Each day we have to think about what tactic drives the most business and the largest chunk of income, and then we need to put it on repeat. Focusing on driving income should be an everyday priority, but it gets complicated when there are no leads in the pipeline. This usually happens because we aren't clear on what we sell and what problems we solve. It's not enough to work on visibility. We have to know what our packages are and how we can bring value to people.

Subscription programs are rising in popularity, but it's a model that works better for some than others. What's the best way to test the waters before launching products? What are the two business models that work for subscriptions? What types of subscription businesses are more likely to succeed? In this episode, Julie Ball talks about how she became a boss mom by building a subscription-based company. Product discovery is a big reason why people like subscription boxes. -Julie Ball 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Build an audience before launching the product (09:40:08:40) We buy from companies we feel connected to, and one of the best way to connect with potential clients is to give them a sneak peek inside our business. To do so, we can use email campaigns where we share our business journey, ask for feedback, etc. This gets us in front of people and helps us build trust before we invest any money in building our products. Subscriptions programs have a unique draw (10:00-13:00) People love subscription programs because there's a joy of discovery. There's always something new. Plus, once you set it up, you can forget about it and the packages will still arrive. However, if we want to start a business like this, we have to narrow down our niche. Pick one business model and stick with it (15:50-17:30) In the subscription space, we have to know what our business model is from the start. Should we go for subscriptions that are focused on brief periods of our clients' lives, such as expecting a child? Should we focus on aspects of people's lives that are unlikely to change, like motherhood or entrepreneurship? Figuring this out allows us to determine whether we need to focus more on retaining our current clients or chasing new ones. Why create a product before we know whether our audience will like it? We need to engage with potential clients first and ask for feedback before launching our product. This way, we get to know what our clients really want without wasting money on developing products that won't sell. Email campaigns are a great way to connect with potential clients and launch a pre-sale to gather the funds first. Guest Bio Julie Ball is the CEO of Sparkle Hustle Grow, speaker, and community builder, and author. She's been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Thrive Global, POPSUGAR, Mashable, and Buzzfeed. Julie ran an all female website design and development firm but wanted to make the switch to working from home and being there for her daughter, and this is how her online business was born. Today, she runs a subscription business for female entrepreneurs with the purpose of bringing positivity and words of encouragement to their lives.

Media appearances aren't just for celebrities and big companies. Small businesses can leverage them as well. What are the first steps we should take towards exposure in the media? Are a few appearances enough to generate leads for years to come? How does the media cycle impact the number of times we need to be seen to stay relevant? In this episode, Christina Nicholson shares why media appearances are superior to advertising and how we can leverage them. You have to continue to put yourself out there because the cycle is always moving and changing. -Christina Nicholson 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Why it's beneficial to make the transition from freelancer to business owner (13:00-14:00) Being a freelancer and a business owner is almost the same thing, but people perceive these words differently. Plus, when we make the shift, we can add more people to our team who can help us out and free up our time. How to leverage media appearances (17:37-19:20) People assume that once they appear in the media everyone is going to see it and clients will flock to them. We still have to do our own PR and promote our appearances. The importance of continually investing in media (24:01-25:08) Like the stock market, we can't just invest money, make a small win, and retire. We have to continue to invest in our PR efforts or we won't get leads on a consistent basis. Our media appearances only stay relevant for so long, making it important to pursue and create new opportunities for exposure. Earned media is different from advertising because our audience knows we're getting the coverage because of our value. Anyone can pay for ads, but it takes a certain level of skill and expertise to be featured on a major media outlet. This is why PR is so important for our businesses. It gives our audience clues about our value and what we can bring to the table. What makes earned media different from advertising is our audience knowing that it's because of our value that we get coverage. Anyone can pay for ads, but it takes a certain level of skill and expertise to be featured on a major media outlet, and this is why PR is so important for our businesses. It gives our audience clues about our value and how much we can bring to the table. Guest Bio Christina Nicholson is a former TV reporter and anchor who has worked in markets from New York City to Miami. She is still telling stories, but instead of doing it for a newscast, she's doing it to help businesses grow. With her business, Media Maven, she helps entrepreneurs reach thousands, even millions, of their ideal customers or clients in minutes instead of months through the power of media without spending big bucks on advertising. You can still see her in front of the camera as a host on Lifetime TV, in national commercials, and read her work online in Huff Post, Inc. Magazine, and Fast Company. Christina also has a local lifestyle and family blog, Christina All Day. She lives in South Florida with her husband and two young children. Go to https://www.mediamavenandmore.com/ for more information, find her on Facebook http://Facebook.com/MediaMavenAndMore and follow @ChristinaAllDay on social media.

We often think of childbirth as a physical process, but it's a lot about the mind too. How can we find the balance between mind and body to make labor less stressful? What can a doula teach us about birthing, motherhood and shifting our paradigms about labor? How can a better understanding of manifestation help us to guide our thoughts and actions into the life we want? On this episode, Chelsea Alders shares on her journey to becoming a mother, a doula, and a business owner. The more your brain tries to jump in and interrupt, the less your body and intuition will take over. - Chelsea Alders 3 Things We Learned From This Episode The universe manifests what you ask of it (14:47- 15:09) What you think and what you say out loud is a lot of what will manifest for you. You'll find that the universe often seems to do what you want. It's important that our actions line up with what we want in our lives. Manifesting vs. gut instincts (16:17 - 16:49) There's always going to be a push-and-pull between creating our reality by manifesting it or following what our gut tells us we're capable of. How we can breathe our pain away (17:15-19:08) When we're scared and stressed, our bodies contract, which makes labor so much harder. Hypnobirth leans on the fact that we're more at ease when we breathe, which decentralizes the pain. When we offer breath to an ache, it eases it. Our bodies let go, and they can be in a space to do what they're meant to do. We all have paradigms shaped by our experiences, and they can often be very limiting. The more well-rounded experiences we have, the more we expand our options and ideas about what works for us. Guest Bio Chelsea Alders is a mom of 3, owner of Sun Dreams Productions, a corporate entertainment and artist agency, running and coordinating entertainment for companies like Nordstrom, UGG Australia, Ted Baker, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Dillards, etc. She is the Co-owner of Om Mamas Blog, Owner of Om Mamas Doulas, and a Labor Doula, Placenta Specialist and licensed HypnoBirthing® Practitioner. Go to https://www.ommamas.com/ for more information.

We love solving problems, but what happens when our clients need something else from us? Perhaps support or just someone who can listen to their problems? How can we identify ways to better serve our clients? When should we give advice and when should we just listen as a friend? In this episode, I talk about when we're needed as coaches and when we should just sit back and acknowledge our clients issues. The answer is not always to solve the problem. Sometimes, the answer is to listen. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode As business owners on a sales call, the first instinct we have is to identify the problem, diagnose the root of it, and deliver the solution. But because we run a business, we need to stop solving problems for free. We should only give a free diagnosis. At times, our clients aren't necessarily looking for solutions to their problem. They just want someone to listen to them and acknowledge how hard the whole process is. Many of us are frustrated when we don't have people like us to engage with. This could happen to our clients as well. Maybe they need someone in their lives who they can vent to about their journey. How do we know if we're helpful when our clients come to us? How do we identify if they need a solution or just someone who listens and supports them? One of the indicators of what clients need is how open they are to the idea of taking action. For example, consider a situation where we inform a client how to solve their problem but they ignore it. If they begin to vent, it's probably a sign that they need our support, not business advice.

Negative experiences in our lives come with emotional scars, baggage, and other burdens. How can we unpack these things and overcome the emotional consequences of what we've faced? How do we bring a bit more confidence and bravery into our daily lives? How do we know when a fear is serious and needs to be addressed? On this episode, founder of In-Courage Living and professional encourager, Sarah Humes, shares how she's healed from the tragedies in her life and how she's empowering people to live in freedom, confidence, and bravery every day. Challenging circumstances come with emotional consequences. -Sarah Humes 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Fear comes in many different packages (09:24 - 09:48)There are different shades of fear, whether it's lack of confidence or more severe emotional obstacles. There's a big difference between a bit of nervousness and the kind of paralyzing, debilitating fear that makes it impossible for us to do what we need to do. Childhood experiences affect us more than we care to admit (11:35 -14:46)People try to pretend that we're not affected by the things that happen to us when we're growing up, but our childhood undoubtedly impacts how we see the world or what we expect out of life's events. As an adult, it's important to try to unpack early life experiences that may be negatively affecting us today. Use compliments as affirmations (24:11 - 24:43 )Affirmations work well, but sometimes we need something different to really give us encouragement. When our friends and loved ones give us compliments, we can actually start writing them down and using them as affirmations. When fear stops us from doing everyday things like making dinner for our families or going after our goals, it's time to look inward and perhaps talk to someone who can help us unpack all this. We all have fears, insecurities, and negative experiences that have shaped us, but we can also overcome them and start living brave and confident lives. Bravery isn't about not being afraid— it's about pushing through it. Confidence is security in who we are, and it doesn't have to be based on what we look like or sound like. It's just about what we believe our value is—and we are all valuable. Tapping into that makes us happier, helps with what we contribute to the world, and it heals us. Guest Bio- Sarah is a professional encourager and the founder of In-Courage Living. After struggling with anxiety and fear, In-Courage Living was born out of the desire to share her experiences with others to help them realize they they are strong. Over the past 5 years, she has taught small audiences and groups many different life skills to deal with life's little problems. Go to https://www.sarahrosehumes.com/ or find her on Facebook https://facebook.com/incourageliving.com or on Instagram @HumesSarah for more information.

Have a failed launch in your past? It happens to the best of us, and it can make us dread the idea of launching a new product or service. How do we get to the point where we no longer need launches to generate income? What are the most common mistakes we make when we launch, and why should we avoid "soft" launches? In this episode, I talk about why we fear launches so much and how we can build a business that doesn't rely solely on launching new products or services to generate revenue. If you have a nurture system, then you won't be holding onto the launch. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Most of the time, the reason why businesses fail is because they believe their product or service alone is good enough so investing in marketing isn't needed. The truth is people need to be persuaded before they buy. Even big companies like Apple have spent billions on their marketing efforts. A successful company isn't built on perpetual launches but on constantly tweaking products and having a nurture system that consistently converts leads into buyers. When we find something that works, it's better to improve what we already have instead of always chasing something new. This way, we get even better at what we do and we can create businesses that don't rely on stressful launches but on nurturing systems that always convert leads into sales in the background.

Funding is a common challenge for many of us, but how can platforms like Kickstarter get our products in front of people? How do we determine if there's a market for our products? What role does storytelling play in promoting our Kickstarter campaigns? On this episode, the founders of Love Powered Co., Anna Lozano and Lindy Sood, share how they built a six-figure business by selling positive affirmation cards made for children, and they give insights on successful crowdfunding. Running a 30-day Kickstarter campaign is like running a marathon. We had to strategically map out the pre-launch, launch, and post-launch. -Anna Lozano 3 Things We Learned From This Episode More and more parents are interested in self-development (10:00-12:30) The modern mom wants to do more than provide shelter and food for her children. There's a demand for self-improvement materials, even for children. There's also a large market out there for methods of instilling confidence in children from an early age because adults know difficult life can be without it. The impact of affirmations on both parents and children (15:00-16:30) Affirmations are beneficial for adults, too. Also, parents will often spread the word about the products they just purchased, giving added reach for your brand. Your campaign has to have a message and a mission (18:00-19:30) Successful Kickstarter campaigns are more about the brand message and less about the product. The first thing our audience sees is the solution we provide and how we want to make a small change around us. If we just promote a commodity, we won't stand out. We have tell a story of how our product can improve the lives of the people who purchase it.. A Kickstarter campaign is not a sprint, but a marathon. Many of us make the mistake of just launching the product or service when we need to map out the pre-launch, the launch, and what happens after. This usually means we need to craft an entire brand message that will be sent to our audience. It is a lot of work, but it is worth it for an impactful and effective campaign. Guest Bio- Anna Lozano and Lindy Sood are the founders of Love Powered Co., a card company that uses positive affirmations to empower children in their own journey. You can find their positive affirmations cards and downloadable prints here. Follow them on social media Instagram.com/lovepoweredco and facebook.com/lovepoweredco.

We're all aware that routines can make our personal lives easier, but what about business routines? Do you have a daily business routine that doesn't focus on just mundane tasks but also on specific steps that lead to more sales? How is a routine like this built? How can we use it to measure whether our current actions are beneficial for our business? In this episode, I talk about why successful entrepreneurs have a business routine and how we can build one for ourselves. It's in the repetitive act of doing that we see success. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode After interviewing many successful people, I've found that the people who are most successful have a routine. A routine doesn't always involve doing repetitive tasks. In the end, what makes a business successful is finding actions that attract clients and make more sales, then putting those actions on repeat. Routines can help us measure success and productivity. When we focus on the same things over a prolonged period, it's easier to find out what works, what doesn't, and where we should make some tweaks. When we don't have a routine in place, we can only guess what we're doing wrong because our actions are inconsistent. It can also help our productivity, as we're most likely to put in the work if we create a daily habit out of it.

More and more people are looking for straightforward, streamlined and uncomplicated content. Is this something you can do in your own business? Are people willing to pay for content that was once published for free? If so, under what conditions? What are the steps you can take to make sure your content marketing strategy thrives? In this episode, Allie Casazza talks about how she turned her life around by living a simpler life and how she brought this to her business, too. Writing for virality can be done on purpose. -Allie Casazza 3 Things We Learned From This Episode People are willing to pay for curated, straight-forward content (10:40-11:20) Just as many people want minimalism in their homes, they also want a more simple approach to information. Often, business owners mistakenly of believe that once they put a lot of content out there for free, nobody will be willing to pay for a course. However, there is additional value in having information compiled and easily accessible. Virality is not a matter of luck (14:30-15:20) Don't merely wish for success and increased online exposure— work for it. There are many tools like BuzzSumo that can help you find out what goes viral in your niche. You can use this information to get a grasp of what your potential clients want. You can carve out your own niche in the industry (18:00-19:20) Being early to the party isn't the only way you can stand out in business. There will always be competition, but what can set you apart is carving your own niche and finding what's different about your approach to solving a problem. It's easy for us to lose out on great growth opportunities when we underestimate people's desire for simpler content. Instead of trying to churn out as much content as possible, why not curate and streamline our offering? There is so much value in curation of content and crafting a course that saves time, yet keeps the essentials. This makes it worth the money for our audience, because they don't have to go through pages and pages to find what they need. Guest Bio- Allie Casazza is an entrepreneur and a mother of four who started her business journey 7 years ago by blogging. Today, she runs a full-blown business with staff all over the country while helping other busy moms get more done with less effort by embracing a minimalist lifestyle. You can get your free minimalist kit here.

There are certain types of stories that have been told for thousands of years but never get old because we relate with them so well. How can the discovery of archetypes by Jung help you create content that always resonates with your audience? What are the 7 archetypes? In this episode, I discuss why story archetypes are everywhere around us and share how you can use a template to take advantage of them. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode All successful marketers use archetypes because our subconscious connects with them, and it's easier to persuade when you help the reader relate. The seven archetypes are: the quest, the underdog, the rebirth, the comedy, the tragedy, and the rags to riches. Each archetypes comes with a unique, relatable pattern that can be used in a variety of mediums. For example, the quest is one of the most commonly used archetypes in the world of digital marketing. All you need to do is to find the right archetype that fits your story and the story of your audience. Archetypes are used by all successful online storytellers. They serve as tools to make your content more relatable. We see archetypes everywhere-- in books and movies, as well as call to actions, sales pages, and social media content. The trick is to find the archetype that resonates best with your audience and personality.

There's a lot of pressure on moms to keep the house clean, do the daily chores, and take care of their children. Many mothers are alone in these responsibilities. How can you break the never-ending cycle of chores that need to be done? Why is it important for your children to share chores? And how can you use calendars and Trello boards to create a system in which each member of the family contributes something? In this episode, Yvonne Marcus, shares her journey as a mom and talks about how she ended up helping women gain back their free time by creating systems to delegate home chores. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Teach the next generation about equally shared chores (09:00-13:10) Traditionally, women were supposed to do everything around the house. This approach leads to frustration and makes women feel overwhelmed. The best way to break the cycle is to teach your kids that chores need to be shared between men and women, and everyone should contribute. Organize chores around the house by using a calendar (14:00-19:40) When chores pile up, it can be discouraging. A calendar helps you both prioritize and delegate some of the tasks to your spouse and children. Trello can be used to create a system for delegating chores (21:00-22:00) Women aren't supposed to do everything by themselves or be expected to do so. A system created on Trello that delegates the work equally is one of the best ways to help yourself and teach your children responsibility. For a lot of moms, the feeling that we have do everything by ourselves is ingrained within us. To combat this, allow and encourage help from your spouse and kids when you need it. One of the best ways to do this is to create a system that delegates the work equally and keeps up with the changes that happen in your family's lives. For example, if something unexpected occurs and you can no longer do a chore tomorrow, you need a system that allows details to be changed and personalized to fit your day-to-day life. Guest Bio- Yvonne Marcus is the co-founder of Two Moms, One Podcast, a published writer, and the creative director of The Dahlia Scene, where she helps women live the life they want without feeling pressured to do it all by themselves. You can find more about Yvonne on her social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram.

Promotion is a touchy subject for many of us. We don't want to sound salesy, nor do we want to get rejected. Is it possible to be supportive while selling? How can we deliver more value and promote ourselves without sounding salesy? Is selling a skill that can be learned by anyone? In this episode, I talk about why it's so important to accept rejection and focus on promoting our businesses to the people who find value in what we do. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Every business owner has to be a salesperson, unless you plan to hire someone to do it for you. This aspect of building a business makes many people uncomfortable because we sometimes doubt ourselves and our abilities. You aren't a snake oil salesman if you offer support and deliver on what you promised. Many moms have a hard time talking about their business. They don't want to sound like they are promoting their products and services. The truth is, we all exchange money and services. Part of being a salesperson is finding the right people, and understanding that not everyone can be helped. You also have to recognize that, like everything else, selling is a skill that can be learned. The more you know about it, the easier it is for you to communicate effectively, sound more genuine, and become better at supporting people throughout their journey.

Budgeting can be quite challenging. It has the tendency to make us feel deprived, especially when we work hard and we know we deserve a treat once in a while. How can we figure out what we should actually be spending our money on? What will our children learn from our budgeting efforts? And how can we make budgeting work for our unique situation? In this episode, Allison Baggerly talks about how she got out of debt and made saving money second nature. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode What to do when we feel we deserve something but we can't afford it (04:21-06:25) Cutting unnecessary costs can be tough. We feel like we deserve certain things when we work hard. We have to ask ourselves this question: Is the purchase necessary? There are many things we do deserve, but sometimes we need to make a compromise now to be financially secure later. Your children will learn the value of work and money from you (13:00-15:00) Your children will imitate everything you do, including your spending habits. Make your children save and work for their money. When they do end up making a purchase, they'll cherish it more because they actually worked for it. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to budgeting (18:20-19:00) Not everyone has the same journey when it comes to budgeting, so it's important to look at your current lifestyle and ask yourself what things you can live without and what you can't. For example, if you don't have an emergency fund, you might want to cut a portion of your budget to make one as soon as possible. Once you have one, you're less likely to have to make major budget cuts when something comes up. Guest Bio Allison Baggerly started learning about budgeting after she found herself in debt and with a child on the way. In the past few years, she paid off all of her debt but she made budgeting her second nature. Now she writes about how to save money and pay off debt on her blog, and she put together a course for families who want to achieve financial freedom.

Business is all people, and the more we understand people, the better. How can we learn to understand the process someone goes through when making a change? What is the process we should move our clients through? How can we provide our services to people at each stage in the process? On this episode, I talk about the 6 stages of making a change and how to leverage them in your service offering. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Sales is a learned skill, not a personality trait. In the contemplation phase, we can provide content and resources to help our clients move to preparation mode. Someone can be in action in one part of their life, pre-contemplation in another, and contemplation in yet another. Our goal is to get people into maintenance mode. It means we've done our job and we can move on. The stages of making a change are pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and termination/relapse. When we're familiar with these steps, we can help our clients progress through the stages, moving them into action and maintenance. Knowing how people feel at each stage means we're better equipped to sell to them, making us more impactful and effective.

When life hits us with difficulty, tragedy, or loss, it can be hard to run our business at the same time. When things feel out of control, how do we decide what we have control over? How can we keep momentum, even when we don't feel like putting in the effort? How can we do good work while still processing our emotions? On this episode, NJ and I talk about getting through the rough patches in life. At some point, you've got to recognize that sometimes it's a long road to recovery when things happen in your life-- and that's okay. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Some things are just hard because they are new (03:29 - 04:11) Be mindful of the challenges that seem difficult as a result of being something new. Just because you've never faced a certain problem doesn't mean you're not equipped to overcome it. We are emotional creatures, and that's not a bad thing (17:58 - 18:47) When we get really into our business, we sometimes forget that we are emotional creatures. This is not something to ignore or repress, but to recognize and embrace. This makes it easier to engage and cope with our emotions. Starting a business is like a modern day walk-about for women (24:13 - 25:04) Businesses are a self-discovery engine. They force us to confront what we really want and what we're willing to fight for. Sometimes this will change the lives around us as we shift and grow. Guest Bio NJ Rongner is a business strategist who helps female entrepreneurs clear the clutter and get laser focused on what matters most. Known by her signature phrase "I can't sign off on that," she's not afraid to tell her clients when they're going in the wrong direction. NJ is the founder of Working Christian Mom where she provides encouragement and support to women who love their family, love their job and love their faith. You can find out more about her podcast and services by visiting Working Christian Mom.

We often feel compelled to help everyone who seems interested in learning more, but we may end up spending time on people who don't plan to take action or can't do so at the moment. Why is it important that we separate the people who can take action from those who only take our advice? How can it impact our self-esteem? In this episode I talk about why it's important for us to focus on being impactful instead of just being helpful. Stop being helpful and start being impactful. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode As women, we are inclined to help and fix things, but some people are not in the mental state or position to take action based on what they learn from us. We might want to help everyone, but we have to make a distinction between the people who can take what we give them and put it into action versus those who won't. This is the difference between helpful and impactful. We have to focus on the people who are in the right place. This is our audience: the people who will actually put everything into action and change their lives. We need to start recognizing who we can really have an impact on. It's hard to be productive and passionate about what you are doing when the people you are helping don't see any results. It can lower our self-esteem and lead us to question our value. Instead, we should focus on the people who we can make an impact on; the people who will make us proud by taking action.

Many parents don't know which route to take when it comes to teaching their children how to become more independent and responsible. Is there a way to teach this from an early age without putting too much pressure on the child? How can we teach kids to see work from a different point of view? And most importantly, what should be our expectations regarding what our children can do given their age? In this episode, Anne-Laure Schneider speaks about how she became a Montessori educator and how the Montessori method can help you raise independent-minded children. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Takeaway 1 (05:18-06:40) If we don't like the context, why not change it? If the schools our children go to aren't providing the level or the type of education our children need to grow, we have to become more proactive about it. This sometimes translates to teaching ourselves how to help our children improve their learning processes and become more independent. Takeaway 2 (17:20-18:24) The biggest misconception about the Montessori method is that it doesn't let children live out their childhood. But many children love to help their parents out, and pretend they want to feel like adults too. For them, it's all a game, even when they do chores. There are so many things children can do at an early age, but as parents we are afraid of seeing our kids grow up too fast. Takeaway 3 (10:53-12:03) Children can be easily taught to do their own things, like work on their own projects while we work as well. Empowering children to do some things on their own not only helps them become more confident in their abilities, but it also prevents them from constantly trying to get our attention while we do our chores. Children are often underestimated. At times, the best way to teach them something is not to constantly nag them but to let them experience the consequences of their actions. And as parents this is tough because we have a tendency to be overprotective. The Montessori method does the exact opposite. It allows children to make mistakes and gives them bit of responsibility around the house. All of this helps them prepare for adulthood. Guest Bio- Anne-Laure Schneider initially started off as a scientist, with a degree in Logic from the University of Cambridge. But after she had her first child, she fell in love with the Montessori method, which was used at the preschool her child attended. This is how she started her journey to becoming a Montessori educator and getting certified. In the present, she helps moms by sharing her Montessori courses online so everyone can benefit from this teaching method without having to attend a school.

Podcasting is a great way to build a relationship with your audience by giving them something more than a blog post to connect with. How can you use podcasting as an authority builder, and why should you be more than just an interviewer? What kind of feedback can you expect? In this episode the CEO of Pursuing Results, Matt Johnson, speaks all about podcasting and why you should start one too! 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Putting out a podcast that gets ignored is not failure; it's feedback. When you know what your audience doesn't respond to, you avoid making even a more costly mistakes, such as putting together a course without having any feedback ahead of time. Podcasting is a great authority builder if you know how to use credibility by association. Don't just be the interviewer. When you have heavy hitters on your podcast, engage in conversations with them instead of just asking questions. Social proof is another credibility builder, so make sure you help the guests promote the podcast episode on their social media accounts as well. This will also help you receive more exposure and get invited to speaking events. You don't have to have a million downloads to have a six figure business. You can dominate a category in the minds of your audience. Focus your marketing efforts and build your business on that. Additionally, the relationships you build with your guests will serve as another opportunity to grow. Guest Bio: Matt Johnson is a marketer, entrepreneur, musician. As founder of Pursuing Results, a podcast PR & production agency based in San Diego, Matt runs a worldwide virtual team helping business coaches and agencies break in and dominate new markets through podcasting. Matt currently hosts and co-hosts niche business shows such as The YouX Podcast, Real Estate Uncensored, The Team Building Podcast, and Level Up. He also speaks to experts and entrepreneurs on how to turn a rockstar business into a YouX Machine. He is a featured podcast guest and speaks to audiences around the US, Canada and Australia.

Domestic violence leaves so many people suffering in silence. How can you identify if you're being abused? When you want to escape a relationship, what should you keep in mind? What are some of the biggest misconceptions that further isolate abuse victims? On this episode, domestic abuse survivor, speaker, and author Rosie Aiello shares how she survived and why she's empowering others. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode When you don't know what abuse looks like, you can think you're the problem (06:45 - 08:35) A lot of women don't realize that what they are actually experiencing is abuse. It's only when they know the signs that they can empower themselves. Until then they will think they are the problem and keep trying to make it better. Keep your escape private (17:29 - 17:46) When planning to leave an abusive partner, don't tell them. If you do, they will only tighten the reins. This can put you and your children in danger. Observe the patterns of behavior (25:26 - 27:46) When it comes to an abuser's behavior, there are patterns you have to watch out for. They tend to be narcissistic, they don't take responsibility, they aren't willing to change their behavior, and they are great to the outside world but awful to you. Abuse comes in many forms, and sometimes we don't even recognize it's happening to us. When we're not being heard or given the love and respect we deserve, that's a problem. The key to survival is being strong inside and learning what your value is. It's possible to escape and finally live a life outside of the prison walls. Rosie is an incredible example of this. Remember: real love is kind, respectful, and understanding. Guest Bio- After a 25 year marriage, Rosie Aiello engineered an international escape to save her daughter and herself from domestic violence. Nearly mentally destroyed, within four years of arriving back in the United States, she reinvented herself since started her own business, and became a speaker, best-selling author and an international awarding-winning entrepreneur. Visit www.11hourstofreedom.com to learn more about Rosie's empowerment program for women.

Flash sales are a good way to make some extra money without building big campaigns. But what price points work best with flash sales? Should you have an audience that you keep engaged via email? What happens when you give a discount on your signature program? In this episode, Dawn Marss shares how you can build a flash sales from scratch. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Products and services that don't have a high price are best for flash sales. But if you do sell only high priced items, you can bundle up and give a discount to make them look cheaper. Before you start a flash sale, you have to make sure you have an engaged list of people who already like what you're doing. Also, you have to make sure the list isn't too short; otherwise, there won't be many people who see your flash sale. You can build a bigger list by investing in Facebook advertising and creating content for your business. When you offer a big discount on your signature program, the people who already paid full price for it will get angry at you. I don't flash sale to people I haven't done some nurturing. -Dawn Marrs Make sure your advertising and content marketing efforts are targeted at people who need your products or services, or the list is useless. When you do build a list, you need to start the nurturing process. It doesn't take much time to nurture for a flash sale, hence the "flash" term. But you still need to make yourself known get them to like & trust you before the sale.

At some point, we all struggle to find the right partner or maintain our current relationships with our partner, parents, or children. Why is it sometimes so difficult to communicate how we feel? Do we show affection differently? Are relationships supposed to be effortless? In this episode, Emunah Malinovitz breaks some myths around love, relationships, and communication. All of the tools that I teach to my clients can be used to connect with any human being. -Emunah Malinovitz 3 Things We Learned From This Episode 1. Love speaks many languages Love has many languages. Unless we learn to speak the language of our partner, we won't feel connected or in harmony. Each one of us has a different way of showing love, and we have to love our partners the way they want to be loved. 2. Sometimes you may need professional help It's sometimes necessary to find someone from outside with an objective view of your unique situation to help you get a clearer understanding what's happening in your relationships. Unfortunately, knowing who you are and what can make you happy isn't taught in school. Still, there are people who already walked this path before you and can lend a helping hand. 3. Relationships take work and must be nurtured From our childhood, we have a fairytale image of how successful relationships should look, but the truth is that we take most adult relationships for granted. Connections need to be supported, and at times you will need the right tools to identify and fix problems. Taking time to nurture relationships positively impacts not only the way you communicate and show love to your romantic partner, but also to your children, friends, and family.

The best way to shake off the feeling of being overwhelmed is to set realistic and measurable goals. By doing so, you just have to look at your to-do list and ask yourself, "Which of the tasks here help me achieve my goals?" This will help you prioritize and declutter your work hours. This doesn't mean you don't need to do the rest of your tasks, but because they aren't as important, you can afford the luxury of delaying them without feeling guilty. You want to spend the least amount of time not knowing what to do.- Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode When we feel we don't have enough time, we struggle with organizing, prioritizing, and taking action. The solution is not making your to-do list smaller, but rather knowing what's urgent and important right now. All of us may have a number of goals, but we don't have the time or the resources to do everything, so we have to pick the one thing that keeps our business afloat. When setting a goal, make sure it's both realistic and measurable, and don't put yourself down if it takes longer than expected. You have to understand that doing one thing right now doesn't make everything else go away. But if you keep thinking about everything else, then you won't make any progress. Everything on your to-do list may seem important, but if you set a goal, you have a direction. Anything on your list that brings you closer to your goal becomes a priority. Make sure you set performance goals as well. What are some daily tasks you can do to reach your goals?

Moms everywhere leave their jobs to spend more time with their family, but many end up having a hard time making an income from home. How can you start your journey towards building a business? How much time do you spend reading and listening to business audiobooks? What are the best ways you can save money? How should you test your business ideas? In this episode, Lauralyn Johnson, mother of four, shares how she built two businesses. I needed a product, because at a certain point I needed cash flow to keep the business running. -Lauralyn Johnson 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Educate yourself ( 08:40-11-44) Use any chance you get to listen to podcasts and audiobooks, and educate yourself on how to make the changes you desire. There are so many ways you can start a business that you probably don't even know about until you spend some time researching your options. Be frugal ( 23:45-26-20) One of the best ways to reduce risks is to be frugal. If possible, relocate to an inexpensive area and downsize. Also, make sure you have enough money to pay in cash for your investments, especially if you're already in debt. Test your ideas ( 15:30 -16:30) There are many business ideas that sound good on paper but don't bring any income. Find a way to test whether there's an audience for your products and services. Pitch your ideas to people who might be your ideal clients and see how they react. Imperfect action is still action. All of us have that inner critic inside of us that makes us think twice before we make a move. But after you've done it long enough, the inner critic starts to quiet down. The best way to get rid of your insecurities and fears is to just do it, even if it's not going to be perfect, and even if you're genuinely afraid of the end result. Guest Bio Lauralyn Johnson is an entrepreneur, author, and mother of four. She left her well-paid corporate job in order to free up time for her children, and she ended up starting a business from home. Today, she helps busy moms plan their trips to Disney and make the most out of it while being on a budget. You can find her tips & tricks at https://www.smartmomsplandisney.com/

Many of us struggle with the idea that maybe we aren't suited to be entrepreneurs. We encounter so many challenges and often end up doubting our abilities. Is your business constantly evolving and shifting? Do you need occasional breaks to achieve clarity? What should you actually focus on trying to control? In this episode, I share what normal growing pains look like for a business and why your worries are more common than you might think! 3 Things We Learned From This Episode You need to sort yourself out in order achieve clarity for your business. In some cases, this involves taking breaks, especially when you go through hardships. As a business owner, you are going to have big highs and big lows, and at some points you will doubt your current model. Market shifts happen. Your business will often pivot, and your ideal customer will change as well. The one thing you can control, despite everything else that happens in your business, is your performance. You can set realistic performance goals every week. Businesses, much like people, aren't perfect. Maintaining clarity and focus, or constantly thinking about new ways to improve your current model are common pains. Just because you have to take a break due to hardships or other challenges, this doesn't mean your business is broken. You'll evolve, as will your business, and this happens to each one of us.

A lot of the messages we get about love are unrealistic and don't encourage women to get in touch with who they are. Why is it so important for us to change how we approach men and dating? Why does it seem so difficult at times? What is "mantourage" dating and how does it help us take our power back? On this episode, Jenn Burton shares her dating coaching tips and insights for ambitious and successful women. I don't want you to look for someone who makes you happy. I want you to look for someone who contributes to your happiness. -Jenn Burton 3 Things We Learned From This Episode The approach to dating is different from how we approach our business (21:11 - 23:23) We can't approach love and dating the way we approach building our empires. It's a different dynamic. We can't approach it as the aggressor. We need to show up as who we are and allow men to get know us. Find your romantic worth (26:02 - 27:23) Women are not being taught what our romantic worth is. We either have high walls or no boundaries at all, and this is what getting in the way. We have to discover what we value and use that to find what we want. Find someone who contributes to your happiness (33:18 - 34:40) Men alone can't make us happy, even though they want to. They can, however, contribute to our happiness as we discover ourselves. Learn to take a step back, let yourself evolve, and discover who you are so you know what makes you happy. The stories we're being told about love are a load of crap. It's doing both men and women a huge disservice. Ambitious and successful women can find love and have happy relationships, but we do need to shift our thinking and avoid being the aggressor. Ultimately, you can take the power back by giving yourself a chance to explore your options, take your time, and slow down the pace. Look for someone who contributes to your happiness. We can be ourselves and still allow men to get to know us. Guest Bio Jenn is a relationship coach who decided, after years of dysfunctional relationships & crappy dating experiences, to take matters into her own hands and developed a dating method for creating the most magical experiences that lead to love. Go to https://jennburton.com/ for more information.

It's hard not to get caught up in who is engaging in your community and of those that opt into your list and buy your programs who is really engaging and getting value. We spend a lot of time focusing on the wrong people and on the wrong content because we don't understand the pie of engagement. On this episode, I will walk you through how the pie of engagement works and why it's so important to keep it mind in your business. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Just because you want people to get a certain result doesn't mean that getting a different result won't still satisfy your customers. There will always be a percentage of people that don't really dive in and do the work. Stop trying to make those people engage and spend your time with the 12.5% that's going to continually buy your programs (listen to find out more). The people who get really good results from you are your rockstars. Don't try to keep making content for these people. Use their stories and testimonials to bring in your ideal client. The pie of engagement is relevant for people who engage in your community and those who buy your programs. If you draw a circle and draw a line through the middle. This is the start of getting a good idea of how engagement works. 50% of the people might engage but they won't do the work. Divide one of the halves into 4 parts. These are people who will engage with your stuff to varying degrees. Some of them won't get results and others will. The ones who get good results will refer you and bring you more business. Don't fight the pie, just do what you can to get more people into your stratosphere.

Building a business online from scratch is hard, but Paige managed to build a huge following on Facebook in just 6 months. How can you apply her content strategy to your business? Should you build a website or rely 100% on social media? Should moms wait until their babies get older before starting their businesses? In this episode, Paige LoPinto shares her amazing journey on how she became a boss mom on the day she gave birth, and grew a huge following on Facebook in only 6 months. My "why" is showing women different birth options. I don't think there's one right way to birth. -Paige LoPinto 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Create content that educates, not persuades (11:30-13:00) Give women the right to choose without making recommendations. In this case, the Birth Tube is a place where women are educated on different birthing options. By seeing women giving birth live on video, future mothers can make an informed decision-- as opposed to blindly following the advice of relatives and friends. They are now able to get an inside look at the process. Don't rely entirely on social media (21:40-23-38) Social media platforms can help you grow organically, especially if you are active and constantly posting interesting content. The problem with these platforms is that you play by their rules. This means some of your content may get deleted, and you have no control over it. Switching to your website after you grow a community on social media is a better alternative for your business. Don't delay building a business (26:17-27:20 ) Starting a business, as with raising a newborn, is challenging. But there will be always things in our lives that will make our work a little bit harder. Don't wait to start a business just because you have a baby. It might be scary at first, but you will be more empowered once you get going. High-quality, controversial content never fails to make noise on social media. Paige's Facebook group exploded in just 6 months to over 28,000 members because she brought something new to the platform. Moms were waiting for a place where they can see what different types of birth look like. In a world where epidurals are recommended by everyone, women need to do some research on both the pros and cons, and BirthTUBE offers this kind of information in a unique way. If you can educate people, you will empower your community-- and they will empower you, too. Guest Bio- Paige LoPinto is a social media influencer and the creator of BirthTUBE, a Facebook group where she helps women gain confidence and make an informed decision about giving birth. Her business journey started on the day she became a mom while giving birth live on Facebook. Her brave act attracted many other women to the group to share and discuss their birth experiences. You can find out more about Paige at https://thesavvymamacom.wordpress.com/about/

When you get into business, you're often told that you need to know your ideal client avatar. However, when you focus on one specific group, there's so much you miss. Why is it so important to have a scale of your ideal clients? How do you flow through knowing this scale? On this episode, I talk about the 5 stages of understanding your ideal client and the journey you want to take them on. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode You don't necessarily have to market to the ideal client because those people are going to find you. A person can show characteristics of needing you, but might lack the mindset, financial resources, and time resources to hire you. The majority of your marketing effort should go towards the people who are one step from saying yes to you. Having clients that outgrow you will be part of the process, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Let them outgrow you and become referral partners. Your ideal client scale is massively important. It is the cornerstone of understanding who you're going after, where to get them, and whether they're even the right fit for you. You're going to have people who look like a good fit but don't actually have the resources to work with you. Then there are those who are only one step away from working with you, and they are the perfect target. Have clients who are working with you but are becoming independent. Remember that it's okay for some clients to outgrow you, as they can become excellent referral partners.

Climbing the ladder as a woman with children isn't easy, especially when we want to be present as our children grow up. How can women advance in their careers and become leaders without sacrificing their family life? What are the unique skills that women can bring to the table? Are women in charge supposed to be less "feminine?" In this episode, Linda Smith, a speaker, and senior litigation partner shares 3 ways she used her feminine power to succeed in a man's world and how she got her trademarked name of The Meanest Woman Alive. As a woman, you can use your unique feminine advantages to lead. -Linda Smith 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Women have higher emotional IQ (03:15-07:00) As long as a woman goes by a man's playbook, she is going to lose. However, women have their own unique set of soft and hard skills that can make them even stronger leaders without losing their femininity. A higher emotional IQ in women helps them identify the personality type of their peers and adjust themselves to communicate in a way their peers can relate to. We play better with others (07:17-07:40) The alpha males in leading positions often lead the team in a military-style manner, which involves intimidation and puts a lot of pressure on the workers. Women are better at encouraging others to work cooperatively, which lowers the stress levels in the office and brings the best out of a team. Emotions influence decisions (07:40-08-58) Males like to think they make decisions exclusively based on logic, free of emotion. However, we all make decisions influenced by emotions and impulses. Women are better at understanding the fact that emotions play a big role in the decision-making process, and they take advantage of it. Guest Bio Linda Smith is an author, speaker and a powerhouse litigator. She represented Fortune 500 companies while raising her children and trying to keep her work-family life balanced. Now she encourages women around the world through her books, podcast, and speaking events to discover their inner strength and use their unique feminine qualities to succeed. Linda's new book Smashing Glass and Kicking Ass: Lessons from The Meanest Woman Alive™ just came out. Go grab the kindle version today.

Brands With a Message Always Win Welcome to the Boss Mom world, where we believe in more than just building businesses—we believe in starting movements. In today's digital age, people don't just want products or services; they want to connect with brands that share their values, beliefs, and vision for the world. So, if you've ever asked yourself, "How do I create a brand that truly inspires people?" you're in the right place. Brands with a message always win, and we want that for you. This blog is all about how you can create powerful brand messaging that not only tells people what you do but inspires them to join your movement. Let's dive in and explore how brands with a message can make all the difference.

Entrepreneurs are so easily caught up in "shiny object syndrome", and move to the next thing before giving the last thing a real chance. How long should you stay horizontal on one strategy, system, or tactic? Does work-life balance exist? How do you get over the shyness of being on camera? On this episode, Amy Porterfield talks all things entrepreneurship, motherhood and getting comfortable on camera. In your business, you are tweaking more than pivoting. -Amy Porterfield 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Don't obsess over work-life balance (12:47 - 13:23) When you're a mom and you're trying to build a big business, you're not always going to be able to be there. There's no such thing as work-life balance. You can't be in two places at once, and you will always miss out on something-- and that's okay. Lean into your insecurities about being on camera and use them in your story (18:46 - 21:15) Let go of worrying what you look like and sound like, because no one cares about that. They are actually thinking of themselves and watching to get something out of it for themselves. Remember: having something valuable to share is way more important than how perfect you look and sound when you share it. Tweak more than you pivot (22:42 - 24:27) There will be about 2 or 3 core pivots that you will ever do in your business. Most of the time, what's required is tweaking to make things better. If something is working, stay horizontal for at least 18 months. Tweak it, market it, and promote it for as long as it's working. It's easy to get caught up in the fear and limiting beliefs that come with putting yourself out there as an entrepreneur. When we let those things win, we are actually doing ourselves and our students a disservice by saying we care too much about how we look or come across on camera. Even if you feel awkward, push past that and let go of your insecurities. You'll learn that your audience appreciates it and loves you even more for it. The key thing will always be consistency. When you do something consistently, you'll become known for it-- and that's what you want!

We often don't leverage holidays and special days enough--but we should! Why are holidays such a great way to get your audience excited about your products? How are the special moments in our lives opportunities for us? On this episode, I talk about the power of infusing special days and holidays into your marketing and content. We have complete control over what we launch, and we can make informed decisions that we can market really well. -Dana Malstaff Things We Learned From This Episode Marketing and promotion is about finding a reason to celebrate. September and October are great for health and cooking because we're about to have guests, and we want to cook good meals without gaining weight over the holidays. Look for correlation between a holiday and what you're trying to sell to your audience. Holidays and special days give us an opportunity to breathe life into our projects and promotions. If you plan ahead, you can do something that will stand out and resonate with your audience. Go to websites like http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/ , pick 4 or 5, and find a way to get people excited!

The rules of traditional direct response marketing require us to push on our prospects' biggest fears and negative emotions. How is this messaging confusing to the consumer? How can we tap into the right kind of emotions? Why is it so valuable to know what's keeping your ideal client up at night? On this episode, Michele PW talks about love-based emotions in marketing and why they are the best way to fuel your messaging. Once you get to what's truly keeping them up at night, you'll know the transformation they're looking for. -Michelle PW 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Direct response tends to focus on fear-based emotions (01:43 - 02:52) The problem with traditional direct response marketing is that it relies too much on tapping into negative emotions like guilt, fear, anger, and resentment. Rather than empowering or encouraging people, it often seeks to motivate action to avoid feeling bad. Acknowledging people's pain in a respectful manner is really important (06:49 - 09:19) Pain is a part of this life, for better or for worse, and it serves an important function in our growth. But there is a huge difference between pain and suffering. Suffering is what happens when we attach emotions to pain. In direct response marketing, people tend to agitate the pain which actually induces suffering. Through love-based marketing, there is a way to acknowledge the pain without making people suffer. Dig deep into what keeps your prospect up at night (09:32 - 09:48) It is so crucial to know the primary concern on your prospect's mind. With that information, you can be equipped to provide the solution to their need and help them transform their lives. People make their buying decisions with their hearts and emotions, which is something marketers can easily tap into. The problem is the damage we can do when we agitate their fear-based emotions and encourage decisions made from a negative place. Instead of using anger, guilt and fear as the basis of your marketing, opt for love-based emotions. Connect to people's passions, hopes, desires, and core values. Ultimately, that's what's going to move them.

It's common right now for people to publish social media content that isn't really achieving anything for their brand. Why is it so important for us to publish with engagement and our core offering in mind? How do we adjust our strategies so that the social media algorithms benefit us? On this episode I talk about a different approach to social media strategy and why it can make such a huge impact on your brand. Your core service is your engine, and your social media is the fuel. You have to constantly reinvigorate the fuel and refill the tank. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Put your core program, service, or offering at the center of your strategy. Think about the different ways you can create diverse content on one thing. When you hire a social media manager, it shouldn't just be someone who can post for you. You need to hire somebody that has a content background so that they can actually write things for you. Social media is not a place where we should thoughtlessly, continuously post and hope that people will engage. If there is anything that the social media algorithms are showing us, it's that engagement matters. So instead of trying to publish content haphazardly, build your strategy around your core offering or program. Present your content in different ways so there's some diversity. This way, you can increase the appeal of one piece of content, and serve your core programs well. When you center your social media around your content, you will have a stronger and more effective strategy.

Building a business from scratch is hard enough, but what happens when the absolute unexpected happens? How do you deal with the things you can't control? And most importantly, how do you build a business that can continue making profit when you can't be there? In this episode, Lacy Gadegaard shares her amazing story on how she started out as a hair extension specialist for celebrities, broke out and created her own wildly successful extension business, and how she found the courage to fight multiple sclerosis and keep being a mom and entrepreneur. It is so silly to think that in business we can do it all by ourselves. -Lacy Gadegaard 3 Things We Learned From This Episode The importance of social media for business growth (04:30-05:33) A website where you showcase your work, doubled by the endorsement others give you on social media, makes you look more credible. This is especially true if you are just starting out. Offer your services to bloggers who have large audiences, and share your collaborations with them on social media to reach an even a larger crowd. Focus on the big picture (10:00-10:33) Don't stress over the small things. Life is filled with unexpected events and things we can't control. The only thing left to do is to try your best and avoid comparing yourself to others, because they aren't you. Hiring people increases your revenue and gives you back your freedom (17:15-19-02) Hiring new people can be scary at first, but you can't do everything by yourself without being tired and stressed out. You don't have to do everything on your own. The more talented people you hire, the more your business will grow. Tragic events happen every day, but you must keep going. When everything is falling down, you learn to focus on the big picture and ignore the small things that once made you upset. Life-changing events such as disease, divorce, or the death of a loved one may change the way you view the world. Even though the progress may be slow at times, it's up to you to maintain your growth. Guest Bio- Lacy Gadegaard is a hair guru, celebrity hair extensions specialist, and the CEO of Laced Hair. Her fight with multiple sclerosis only made her stronger in the long run. She built her business while diagnosed with it, and she is currently raising her two children. Her products were featured on ABC, Shark Tank, and The Bachelorette. You can find out more about her amazing story on her instagram or on her website.

Mind maps are a great way to brainstorm, and they serve as a great starting point for getting ideas out of your head. Why are mind maps so freeing? Why is it so important to understand how your brain works and comes up with ideas? On this episode, I talk about why mind maps are my favorite way of planning to execute on an idea. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Mind mapping is great way to brainstorm without worrying about structure. Sometimes structure holds us back, as our ideas don't always come in the order we want to execute. A mind map is never wrong. Every piece of it, whether you keep it, cross it off, or move it is part of the journey to allowing your brain to unravel the beauty that's inside it. You can't access the parts of your brain with the good stuff without getting uncomfortable. If it's not worth mapping and doesn't fit into the strategy of your business, consider whether it's really worth it to your business. Our brains are wonderful and unique instruments. When we learn how they function and how ideas unfold in them, the better we get at fleshing out our ideas and then executing on them. It's not about having the most perfect and organized mind map-- it's about letting our minds roam free to get an idea out of our heads and onto paper. Expect discomfort, because that's how we reach the highest form of creation and creativity.

We all feel pressured to "do the right thing" when it comes to our careers. This usually ends up causing us to make safe choices that might bring money but take away our time and suppress what we really want to be doing. How do you decide what field you should work in? Is your current career path the result of a safe choice? On this episode, Stefani Reinold shares her journey from being an unhappy student in medical school to building her own business online. I was hoping someone was going to give me an answer, and it took me a couple of years to figure out what my question was to begin with. -Stefani Reinold 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Know what environments you thrive in (10:30-11:26) If you are studying for a degree that you don't like or working a job that takes all of your energy, it's time to question your actions. Know from the beginning what your interests are as well as your raw qualities. In what environments do you thrive? Step outside your comfort zone (24:58-26:33) Many people choose risk-free careers even if they aren't made for them. The money might be good, but waking up every day and going to a job you hate will rob you of your joy. Entrepreneurship is not a risk-free path, but if you learn from your mistakes, you can thrive. Nobody can tell you who you are (17:56-21-10) No coaching program is going to help you unless you know who you are and what you enjoy doing. What price are you willing to pay for your career? How important is the time spent with your family? The answer to this question should help you find an industry you enjoy. Guest Bio- Stefani Reinold's journey started when she realized she is not a "typical mom." She's been through a number a business ventures, and she had her fair share of failures. Stepani left behind the opportunity of having a high-paying career in the medical field to more time to spend with her family and follow her passion for business. Today, she is a successful author and the creator of the Heart Method. She uses her website to educate and help women find themselves and their inner peace. You can find Stefani at Not the Typical Mom.

A lot of business owners do too much too fast because they are terrified of losing momentum. Why is control more important than momentum? What do successful businesses do to grow steadily? Why is it so crucial for us to slow down? On this episode, I talk about a powerful lesson learned from a Pilates class. Strengthening your business core allows the rest of your business to work the way it should with less stress. - Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode You don't need grandiose movements or to catch momentum for steady growth to take place. Sometimes doing too much and creating too much doesn't results in distraction rather than growth. When you hear something that feels profound, take a moment to think about how that applies to other things in your life. Don't start blogging unless you want to make money from it. When you're running a business, you have to create strategic content. The businesses that are truly successful have good systems, absolute clarity, and say "no" to things that don't serve their finite purpose. You don't want your rolling snowball to end up with rocks and dirt-- you want it to have more snow. Having control means having a concise free-to-paid journey and only creating content that feeds your funnel.

Launching a new podcast requires a lot of dedication and discipline. How do you make sure your idea is good enough to get people interested? How do you balance between promoting your guests and making sure you're getting unique stories? On this episode, blogger--and now podcaster-- NJ Rongner is back to talk about launching her very own podcast with as little stress as possible. We all have these really wonderful ideas that we think are going to change the world, but if we don't have the people in front of us that need that information, it's not going to go anywhere. -NJ Rongner 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Taking responsibility for your project is critical to its success (04:17 - 04:35) In partnerships there's a level of shared co-ownership. When you launch your own blog, podcast or project, the ownership is all on you. That means you have to be prepared for the responsibility that comes with it. Make sure there's an audience for your product (13:06 - 13:28) Your product or idea needs to have people who want it and an easy way for you to launch it. Without both, you won't get the ROI and results you hope for. Consider all the factors when validating your ideas (13:43 - 14:05) Validating your ideas isn't just about whether people need the information or not. It's also about whether you're visible enough for them to see it and whether you're putting it in a format intriguing enough for them. Having a wonderful idea that can change the world is a great start, but there has to be more to it. No matter how good your creation is, you also need to have some understanding of how it will be received by your intended audience. Lean on an existing community like a Facebook group or blog community to listen and learn what people actually need. These people will feed you information that allows you to craft a better product, and ultimately empower you to build something that will succeed.

Reading is a necessary part of self-development and growth. What can we learn about emotional intelligence, communication, creativity, and making decisions? How can books help us become better versions of ourselves and better business owners? On this episode, I talk about 5 books with a tremendous amount of value and how they can help you and your business. These books will change the way you think and how you engage with the world, as well as how to make decisions without questioning them. Business is people-- and people relate to each other. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode The more you understand how people feel valued and loved, the higher your chances of success. The best way to live your life is to read other people's love languages so that you can give them love in the way that they understand. When we use our minds to create ideas and bring them to life, it fulfills us as human beings. Running a business, being creative, and working towards your goals can be daunting. By learning love languages we can become better communicators, which will help our relationships. When we lead with emotional intelligence, we find that our interactions with people improve. The act of creation provides us with fulfillment, as does finding what truly suits us and plays to our strengths.

We often make the mistake of thinking our prospects don't want to hear our life stories, what we learned from our mistakes, or why we do the things we do. Stories do more than share your expertise—they create connections. What types of stories should you tell? What makes your story unique? On this episode, Dawn Gluskin shares how she uses stories to grow the businesses of her clients. Never lose your leadership when you share your story. Even if you look vulnerable, let them see the leader in you. -Dawn Gluskin 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Being yourself is the best differentiator (04:35-05:40) In a world where everyone is trying to fit into the mold, being yourself is a valuable differentiator. People are sick of seeing perfect stories. They want something that resonates with them. While your clients want someone competent, they don't expect perfection. The small cracks in the mask is what makes helps them connect with you. The naked approach (13:40-14:40 You can't express yourself and share your story if you're constantly living in fear of being judged by others. Social media makes it even harder to share our mistakes and what we learned from them since everyone is sharing only positive aspects of their lives on social media. The naked approach refers to using your own stories and own vulnerabilities to connect with others. We evolved to respond to stories better than raw data (17:40-18:47) To survive, we needed stories to share with our peers about survival tactics, food locations, and more. While facts and figures do have value, they become even more powerful when they fit into a larger story. Stories are easier to remember and can make you more likable than stats and data. Not all stories are created equal. Not all stories are made to be shared. Ask yourself, is sharing this story relevant to my business? Does it show something I've learned from it? You want to be relatable, but make sure you don't undermine your skills and talents by doing so. Write your stories from a position of leadership and learning. Guest Bio- Dawn decided to start her own business after she was pressured to come back to her job soon after having a child. In only 3 years, she made around $3 million by helping entrepreneurs share their brand story in a meaningful way. You can find out more about her work at http://www.blissedcommunications.com/

Our emotions dictate how we interact with our environment and people around us, and we often do ourselves a huge disservice by shutting out negative emotions. Why is it important to give all your emotions room to come to the surface? What happens when we push aside feelings like anger, fear and disgust? On this episode, I talk about a very important lesson we can learn from the cartoon movie, Inside Out. Maturity involves recognizing that emotions are not black and white. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Decide the things that you love and start looking at them with a dissecting eye to see what you can learn from them. Pushing other emotions aside and trying to be happy all the time can put us under a great deal of stress If it's hard to pull yourself together in life, it will be tough to do it in business Cartoons have so much to teach us about ourselves and business. In the case of Inside Out, we learn that it is important that we face all our emotions when things happen to us. It's easy to choose to just be joyful all of the time but that can do more damage in the long run. Feelings like sadness, happiness, fear, excitement and anger are all interconnected, and sometimes we can't experience one without another. There's nothing wrong with this. Allowing ourselves to feel the full scope of our emotions gives you-- and your business-- a resilience and ability to heal.

As a society, we are more focused on ourselves than we've ever been before. How can we interrupt this selfishness and help make the world better? How do you figure out your purpose and mission in life? How can you gauge whether you're going in the right direction? On this episode, host of The Daily Helping podcast, Dr. Richard Shuster shares how he found his life's purpose after a near-death experience and how he's paying it forward. 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Your values and mission will always steer your towards what's authentic (08:16 - 09:15) If you're really clear about what your values and mission are, you can always ask yourself if an action is in alignment with them. This will help to keep you in the right direction. People and moments matter (10:56 - 11:45) As we get older, we all start to realize that people and the moments we share with them are things we're going to be nostalgic about in the future. These are also the things that keep us connected, loving and strong-- and they really matter. Giving is just as healthy as receiving (15:11 - 16:42) Our society is so focused on the self, but what we haven't been taught is that being giving and selfless actually makes us feel as good as the people we give to. The same biological mechanisms in our brains fire when we help others and give selflessly in the same fashion as if we were the recipients. Even though social media often makes us feel like we exist only to please and improve ourselves, we need to be able to look outward. The mission is to make the world a better place for our children and make us all happier as people. If we can put energy into the meaningful things, our society will be stronger, more connected, and more loving. Guest Bio- Dr. Richard Shuster is a licensed clinical psychologist and the host of The Daily Helping with Dr. Richard Shuster: Food for the Brain, Knowledge from the experts, Tools to Win at Life which is regularly downloaded in over 60 countries. On his podcast, Dr. Shuster's guests educate and inspire listeners through their stories, expertise, and passion for helping make a difference in the lives of others. His mission is to help people become the best versions of themselves and as a consequence, make the world a better place. A sought after media expert, Dr. Shuster's clinical expertise and podcast have been featured in such publications as The Huffington Post, NBCNews.com, Glassdoor.com, Reader's Digest, and others. Learn more at www.thedailyhelping.com

Once you've created content that builds trust, the next step is promoting yourself-- but this can be challenging. Why is it so important to promote your business and your work? How do you get people to talk about and want to buy from you? What factors can you leverage? On this episode, I discuss why it is so critical to actually get out there and start talking about your awesome work. Every single day, do at least one thing that promotes you and your business. -Dana Malstaff 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Recognize your real estate; recognize where you have space to show what you're selling. If you're not leveraging the free real estate that you have, you're missing out. Pinterest is more of a long term search engine. From a visibility standpoint, you want to create a good amount of varied imagery for the main ways in which people get on your list. You don't want to send people directly to your sale pages because conversion is going to be low. People need to see you 7-10 times before they buy from you. Your sole job as a business owner is to sell. Without that, you can't be profitable. Tiptoeing around the fact that you have a business doesn't help anyone, and it won't get you anywhere. Commit to promoting yourself. Everyday, you need to be out talking about your businesses in some way. You can do this through all sorts of content and platforms but the end goal is making sure people see you regularly so they can move towards buying from you.

In this information age, people get so excited about the possibilities of their ideas that they jump the gun and start in the wrong place. When you have an idea, what are the steps you need to think about? How do you avoid prematurely floundering? On this episode, idea strategist and inventor Lisa McCarthy gives insight on doing things in the right order when you have a new idea. You need to retrain your brain to think in a positive way, even when you're slamming through the slime. It's about you empowering yourself. -Lisa McCarthy 3 Things We Learned From This Episode Before you can empower anyone you have to empower yourself first (04:04 - 04:30) A lot of us are driven by purpose and the need to make an impact on something outside of ourselves. The truth is, if you want to make an impact externally, you have to do the hard work of empowering yourself before you can do it for anyone else. Be intentional and proactive about what you say to yourself (08:09 - 09:26) We all have an inner monologue, and often we allow the message to be negative. What if you learned to drown that out with something you purposefully and intentionally chose to say to yourself? Imagine how that would change everything. Plan first before taking any action on a new idea (14:20 - 15:44) When you come up with a new idea for something, it's so easy to get carried away that you miss the foundational steps that ensure success. To avoid this, take the time to map the details so that questions and obstacles can be anticipated. When excitement and inspiration form around a new idea, we can easily forget the important details that go into executing it. Missing crucial steps can actually hinder progress, so it;s worth it to take the time to map out your ideas. Figure out "the who, what, when, where, why and how" so you have the right game plan to move forward. This will make the process of executing on an idea a lot less daunting and ultimately more effective. Guest Bio Lisa is a Strategist at Make My Idea Real and the Inventor of the Affirmations Mirror. Go to makemyideareal.com for more information or get in touch with Lisa [email protected].

If you're a service-based business, you're going to do a group program at some point. When do you know that you're ready? How do know how many people you can handle in a coaching program? What is the most effective way to structure it? On this episode, I share how to get group coaching started! "If all you're doing on your group calls is teaching them stuff, then you're not really a group coaching program. You're just a live course." - Dana Malstaff 4 Things We Learned From This Episode Don't start a group program unless you've coached a minimum of 10 people on a one-on-one basis. People in groups feed off each other and become friends, which accentuates accountability. Remember that at any given moment about 50-70% of the participants are going to really engage with you. Every group coaching program should come with at least one 1-on-1 call in the beginning of the program. Group coaching is not only a way for you to touch more people at once, but also a great way to add an extra layer of accountability and relationship. How you go about your coaching is very important. In addition to teaching, it's about listening and communicating with them to improve their lives. This is what makes you a coaching program.