Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | Leadership

What’s In This Episode:

If you've made it this far in sticking to your goals, you're on your way to forming a habit! Brad's goal for getting feedback is still going strong; you can help him by filling out this three-question survey.

Are there things that you do every day or every week without fail? For Jill's business, she checks e-mail, social media, and checks up on Founding Mom Exchanges. Brad goes to the gym three times a week (and he tracks it using the Streaks App) and both of them are back on the no-sugar wagon. They made it six months last time; can they go a whole year?

"Sometimes it's easier to create a habit. What's a small thing that you can change that leads you to that goal?" - Brad

Harry Duran, host of Podcast Junkies and creator of FullCast, calls to discuss his problem. He primarily gets business via referrals but wants to know how he can branch out to grow his business. Jill says that it never hurts to ask. If Harry is putting out content via newsletters and social media, he can simply ask people to work with him.

Brad says he can also send out a quarterly advertising email to get the message clearly across. Harry can also reference case studies and show his audience real people who have gotten value from working with him. Additionally, since he's already getting the referrals, ask them for feedback - what made them recommend Harry in the first place?

"Throw an 'ask' into everything you're doing." - Jill

Jill and Brad then discuss the top 5 ways to build a new habit:

  • Make a plan. Consistency is key. Set a time and a trigger to do whatever you're working toward.
  • Prep as much as possible. If you want to go to the gym, pack your bag the night before. Things will just become part of the routine.
  • Download a tracking app like Streaks (mentioned above!) or the Productive App. Or do it the old-fashioned way and write things down.
  • Give yourself a visual cue.
  • And the last thing is that you can always do this...

Guest:

  • Harry Duran is the host of Podcast Junkies and the creator of FullCast, a full-service, done-for-you podcast production and marketing consultancy. He helps six-figure entrepreneurs amplify their authority and extend their reach through the power of podcasting.
Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_243.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

What’s In This Episode:

Brad's still maintaining momentum on his feedback goal. Please go here and fill out his three-question survey. He'll love you forever.

So you have your goals, but the enthusiasm is waning. How do you get through it? Before he discovered the Streaks App, Brad blocked time on his calendar so that he could work on his goals. He plans around his goal. Jill's all about the accountability buddy (though she's liking the sound of that app, too!).

"I like the idea of check-ins. You can't do it alone." - Jill

Kristy Wallace, CEO of Ellevate Network, calls to ask about what the best practices are for owning your brand. She recognizes that there are similar companies out there - and she thinks that's great. But she worries that if other companies do similarly-named events but they don't have the same quality or structure, that could dilute the power of her brand. She's not coming at it from a malicious standpoint; she's just worked really hard to get Ellevate Network to where it is today.

Jill's take - even though it's not legal advice - is that if Kristy isn't going to take anyone to court, there's no point to trademark or copyright anything. The whole point of trademarking something is that you want to prevent someone else from doing that thing or using that name too. Any lawyer will tell you that, of course, you need to trademark. Bigger companies have trademarks, and filing a trademark may also make you feel important. If she wants to, Jill says that Kristy can put a "TM" mark next to their brand name, meaning that they're filing for a registered trademark.

Brad says that nine times out of ten, a conversation is all that's needed. Something like, "Hey, that looks awfully similar to what I've been doing. I would appreciate it if you called it something different." Additionally, he tells Kristy she can use Copyscape to check for plagiarism.

Overall, Jill says, if you're worried about all of this, you're not focused on building your business. So build your business - no one's going to be able to do it as well as you can.

Jill and Brad then discuss the top 5 ways to maintain your momentum:

  • Find a person in your life that can keep you accountable.
  • Write it down, journal it, or post it to your social networks.
  • Download a tracking app like Streaks (mentioned above!) or the Productive App.
  • When you're working, remove all distractions. Put your tech on Do Not Disturb.
  • And the number one thing? Create this!

Guest:

  • Kristy Wallace is the CEO of Ellevate Network and is responsible for executing their mission to close the gender achievement gap in business by providing professional women with a global community to lean on and learn from.
Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_242.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

What’s In This Episode:

Are you staying focused on what's important and avoiding the trap of being busy? Brad's trying to stay on top of his goals. In fact, he's serious about getting feedback from others (please go here and answer three questions).

Jill says that busy work allows us to avoid the real things you have to do. You don't realize that you're doing busy work, really, until you step back and take a look at it. Plus, every time you get an email and your endorphins rise, it's telling you, "Oh, I'm being productive."

Brad says that email, especially, is tricky. Some of it is busy work, some of it is actually important, and there's probably a lead or two. Facebook and other social media are just as bad as getting sucked into email. But it's the same thing: you're rarely going to make more money by chatting with people via Messenger.

"There's a lot of busy work that we get ourselves involved in that isn't really making progress on our goals." - Brad

Lloyd Lim calls in and talks about his writing career. He began writing nonfiction books in order to simplify complicated topics for people. Before embarking on writing, he worked for the government, and before that, he worked as a lawyer. But now, he's left the government and is working on rebranding himself. He's worked on a lot of public interest projects, but he's doing a lot of them for free. How does he start moving toward getting paid for the work that he does?

Brad suggests that Lloyd narrows down his expertise into one thing that provides the most value. Jill respectfully disagrees with Brad and says to just start charging. Lloyd explains that he's thought about charging a flat fee for assessment of his clients' problems. But he still needs to identify his target market, what's the problem they have, and what's the solution that he's going to offer.

"I'm a big believer in the accountability buddy." - Jill

Jill and Brad then discuss the top 5 ways to measure progress toward your goals:

  • Break your goal into manageable pieces.
  • Make it a game.
  • Create streaks - how many days in a row have you done your goal? (There's even an app for that.)
  • Form a team and check in with someone else.
  • What's YOUR method of making progress toward your goals? Call us and let us know!

Guest:

Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_241.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

What’s In This Episode:

Brad and Jill made some goals and now they have to start working on them. It's like a clean slate! A chance to start over! What's Jill going to leave behind for the new year? She's going to try to leave behind massive impatience in her business in 2018. Some of it served her well as an entrepreneur; it even helped her build her businesses. But now, to sustain them, she needs even more patience.

Brad's leaving behind social media (he's trying, anyway). He wants to make it a habit to not look at any social media when he's at home. Jill suggests just removing apps from his phone to make it easier not to check. Good luck, Brad!

"Business is about trust, and if you can't follow through on your commitments, why would I do business at all?" - Brad

Then Brad and Jill have a last-minute guest cancellation, which leads to a discussion about commitments. What is it about commitments that people can't handle? No, it's not the first time that a guest has canceled being on the podcast, but doing so last-minute isn't very considerate. Additionally, doing so means that you miss out on other opportunities (in this case, a chance to promote and get advice!).

So, for 2018... don't be that person. It makes you look bad, professionally.

"Celebrate any progress, even the baby steps, because it's gonna help you move along." - Jill

Jill and Brad then discuss the top 5 ways to make immediate progress on your goals:

  • Skip your emails in the first hour of your workday and do the thing that needs doing the most.
  • Take 5 goals that are important in your business, and write them down so that you see them repeatedly.
  • Move somewhere else; work in a different space. Get that creativity flowing.
  • Celebrate any progress!
  • And the number one way to make immediate progress? Delete this thing!

Sponsor:

  • This episode is sponsored by Warby Parker. Buying glasses can be expensive, annoying, and overwhelming. Warby Parker cuts out the middleman by providing high-quality eyewear at a fraction of the cost.  How can you try glasses online? Check out their Home Try-On Program for free and get started to find your perfect pair of glasses.
Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_240.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

What’s In This Episode:

We're welcoming 2018! Brad wants to know if Jill likes goals. She wants to know how Brad defines goals, which he does as "something that you're committing yourself to accomplish in a certain period of time". Jill hates them because she finds specific goals to be too limiting and confining. Weirdly, BRAD AGREES WITH HER. He'd get so wrapped up in his goals, he'd stop noticing that there were other things that needed his attention. But he does think goals are useful, as you utilize different actions when working toward a goal.

"I personally don't think as an entrepreneur, I need goals to drive me." - Jill

Kelley Kitley, author, TEDx presenter and founder of Serendipitous Psychotherapy, calls in for advice on how to take her business to the next level. She wants to get on national radio and TV circuits; she wants more speaking engagements. But she doesn't have the money to hire a PR/marketing person, and wonders if she's being annoying. Jill reminds her that there is no such thing as being annoying in business. It's particularly a stigma with women, but there is absolutely no limit.

Brad wants to know if Kelley would be open to raising her prices; as a therapist, she needs to make more money if she's going to devote some of her time being her own PR person. People often believe that a PR person can do a better job than they would be able to, but if Kelley knows what she wants, and knows where to find them, she doesn't have to spend that expense just yet.

"The thing about pricing is - we charge what we have the confidence to ask for." - Brad

Jill and Brad then discuss the top 5 out-of-the-box goals for the year:

  • Pay attention to how much joy there is in your life. Focus on joy, and see how much you can repeat things that bring you joy day-to-day.
  • Go further with fewer initiatives. You don't need to do ALL the things; just focus on a few things and see if it works.
  • Get sleep. It's so important.
  • Get more feedback, even if you're the boss.
  • And the number one thing? Brad's really doing it this time!

Want to know what it is? Listen in

Guest:

  • Kelley Kitley is the founder of Serendipitous Psychotherapy, as well as the author of an autobiography, MY self.
Direct download: Breaking_Dwon_Your_Business_EP_239.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

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