Today on the show we are going back in time to an old episode. Our schedules were jam-packed this past week — speaking at a conference in Chicago for She Did It Her Way, and having our massive strategy planning session for the rest of the year and our future — so we didn’t get to record another episode of the Goal Crusher Series. However, we think you will enjoy this episode because it is definitely an oldie, but a goodie! It is all about chasing those sparkly squirrels, what to do, and what questions to ask yourself when those sparkly squirrels pop up, as they always do!

Most creatives seem to also be known as “serial entrepreneurs” because we’re constantly thinking of new ideas and wanting to try them out. Although this keeps us innovative in business, it can also paralyze us and hold us back. Inside this episode we go through how you can stay on track or maybe get distracted intentionally to help grow your business. We’re getting you focused and making you ask the hard questions before you dive into something unknown or add on something new to what you already have to offer. So jump into this episode as we get some clarity up in here!

In this episode we dive into seven habits that we believe lead to a more productive life and a more productive business. These seven habits will ultimately help you achieve the goals and dreams you are seeking – whether those are personal or financial. You are one person, with multiple facets, and you can’t play blind to the fact that you have a life outside of work! We want to incorporate that into living a lifestyle that gets you where you want to go. These seven habits have been monitored over time in our own business. Whenever we are incredibly productive, we take a look at everything that we were doing over that time and ask, “What was a constant? What habits combined aided our productivity?”

A lot of people ask us what is it that makes us so productive, and everyone seems to be waiting for that miracle answer. But the reason why we are covering seven habits is because it is never just one thing. It’s never just one thing you do that helps you sell more, or get more people on your list, or land more clients. It is a combination of things that helps to create a successful business and a successful human being. So take a listen and learn more about the seven habits we focus on that have led to more productivity in our lives and how it can lead to more productivity in your life too.

Today on the podcast we have Sarah Peck, who is a writer, startup advisor, and yoga teacher based out of New York City. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Startup Pregnant, a media company documenting the stories of women’s leadership across work and family. Inside today’s episode we are talking all about planning ahead for this year, how to eliminate 50% of your workload, and we’re going through the process of the system she used to really figure out how much time she realistically had so she could plan accordingly.

If you’re a momma, or you’re busy, or you’re a human, then you just need to pay attention because we will take you step-by-step through an exercise to reduce your to-do list in a cray way so that you can have a happier and more fulfilled life. Sarah is an incredible human being with a lovely soft radio voice that we often try to mimic, so we really think you are going to enjoy this episode just because of the sound of her voice alone. Don’t miss out!

In this episode, we’re addressing the stage where most people give up and why you are not going to be one of those people. So let’s recap – by this point in the Beginner Business Series, you’ve created a product from something you are already amazing at doing. You’ve got it out the door and up quickly, you’ve validated your dreamies, you’ve packaged it, you’ve priced it, you’ve created a plan to market it and you’ve created a website landing page so that someone can pay you. (Wow! You’re crushing it, babe!)  This is also the point where sometimes, for SOME people, their plan fizzles and they lose motivation after all their hard work and planning.

Sounding like you? Well, guess what? This is NOT the time to scrap everything and start over! You are so close to seeing success and in this episode, we’re going to help you get through this last leg of the journey and recognize your worth. Sure, it might be easier to quit but you can push through! We are going to help you get over your fear of re-launching by giving you actionable steps that you can implement. A lot of that comes back to your personal attitude about your own product or service and today, we’re here tell you why you have to believe in your product and yourself, just like we do.

Today on the podcast we have Abbi Perets. Abbi is passionate about showing moms how to have it all and create a business from home. She is the founder of SuccessfulFreelanceMom.com, teaching moms how to break into freelance writing and create high paying jobs for themselves where they can continue to work from home with their kids. Abbi has a cutthroat approach to procrastination and today, we discuss this dreaded demon we all face. In this episode, Abbi touches on the all the things you are dangerously procrastinating on – the things that are wasting your time and energy, the things you should be working on in order to see profit and clients faster and to create that business – even when you might have a slew of kids at home, mental illness or family issues.

Whatever excuse you choose to make, the chances are, you’ve made it over and over again and so have many other moms in your position. We want to help you get out of that rut and just do it! Abbi has a bunch of crazy issues she’s been put through with her family and she touches on these to show you it can be done. It will be done and you are the one to do it today! If you are looking for a new mind shift toward tackling your tasks, this is the episode for you. We are all super passionate about this topic so don’t be scared. This episode is really fun.

Today on the show we are dishing out all the secret sauce! We get asked all the time, “How do you get so much done and not work an insane amount of hours?” And today, we are going to be answering this question by looking really closely at the systems and software that we use to make our business happen and give us the time to have a four-day weekend if we want it!

If you have been looking into these systems for your own business, this episode might just help you to narrow down your options. We are going to run through our list of apps and programs and tell you the pros of each system and how it helps our business function without having to do all the nitty-gritty little things throughout the day. If you are looking for a way to automate your business, communicate more effectively, and do half the work in half the amount of time – then this episode is for you!

Today on the podcast we welcome back one of our BFF’s, Jordan Ellis, of Jordandené. Jordan owns a geek chic apparel company where she sells all the nerdy, girly stuff you could ever imagine – all across the country and the world. Jordan also does live events and sells her products online, making almost half of her annual revenue during the three to four-week holiday season! That’s right, ‘tis the season for sales!

So today, we are talking products and how to not miss out on opportunities and stress yourself out when it comes to the crazy holiday season. We discuss everything from the best time to start preparing for the holiday season, lining up your stock, handling Black Friday promotions, roping in assistance and how to get yourself super prepared for this exciting and rewarding time of the year. We want to encourage you to use this episode as your guiding light for the holiday season, whether it’s this year or next. It’s never too late to get prepared so you can win in the realm of product. So let’s jump in and get started!

On today’s show, we will be answering our most frequently asked question: “How did you get from point A to point B?” We will be sharing what to do, when to do it and how to do it all in your first two years of business. These steps got us from zero dollars to nearly half a million dollars and we want to give you a step-by-step breakdown of everything we did along the way. Even if your goal is not to make half a million dollars, the strategies we implemented and the lessons we have learned can definitely be applied to any business goal. Whatever your ultimate goal, the strategies and order we did them in are the same.

Inside this episode, we give you a business roadmap and the eight main steps we took to reach our goal. The order of these steps is key and that is exactly why we will be sharing them in detail with you! To give you a little taste, here is how we are going to break it all down. 1) Build Your Foundation, 2) Craft Your Message, 3) Nurture Your Dreamies, 4) Streamline With Systems, 5) See The Big Picture, 6) Create Sustainability, 7) Formulate A Passive Business, 8) Reach Those #Squad Goals. Okay, are you ready? Let’s get started!

We get asked so many questions all the time about our launches and how on earth we manage to do so many while keeping it all organized, keeping communication going with our community and just how we get it all done!? There are so many tiny steps that go into launching just about anything. You end up feeling so anxious about it all. Well, babes, we are here to tell you there’s an easier way to launch! We can tell you how to schedule it all and keep on top of what, when and how you are doing the launch.

On today’s episode, we are here to give you an overview of every single step starting at the very beginning. Specifically, we will be talking about what we do before we launch a program so you can adjust this for your own business to make it work for you. We are going to walk you through how we do it and of course, we can’t do it without our little magic tool, our favorite platform - Trello. So make sure you are listening intently to this one as we are about to help you help your business!

Today, we are bringing you something new, unique and kind of awesome. In this episode, you are going to get to hear from alumni of our program, The Strategy Academy, answer questions about their businesses, growth, mindsets and all the amazing things that have happened in their lives and businesses from taking our program earlier this year.

They are all pretty awesome peeps. You are hearing from, not only a service-based person, but a product-based person, a blogger and a podcaster. We are giving you the full enchilada of what’s going on inside their businesses, where they were before and how The Strategy Academy has helped them ramp up. We have formatted it a bit differently today, so each guest’s story is summarized for you to get the most out of their experience with The Strategy Academy. Keep listening to hear more!

Today on the podcast we have Reina Pomeroy. Reina is the founder of Reina and Co. She is a life and business success coach and helps right-brained, heart-centered women be their best selves. We have loved Reina for a long time and have been able to watch Reina’s business grow and prosper. We definitely have a personal connection with her and are excited for you to hear the amazing things we jumped into in this podcast.

We are talking about something that might make some of you cringe, but we really want you to stick around for this one. The unique perspective Reina brings to sales funnels is actually REALLY good. She works with a lot of creatives. She knows how our brains work and created a new method for thinking about bringing our clients, our audience, and our customer on a journey with us. She knows how to set it up in a way that makes sense; where you are profitable and giving away content. We are asking her what she thinks when people say they are worried about giving away too much for free, what comes first, the free content or the paid content, and how to fill the spaces in between. Believe us when we say this episode is jam-packed and you are going to love it.

Today on the podcast we have Madison Sanders, of Madison Sanders Events. Madi has been a wedding planner and designer since 2014 (and also, it just so happens that she and Emylee went to highschool together!). Madison has gone from working for other agencies to building her own business, to even growing her agency where she now has other planners working for her.

Inside today’s episode, we talk about how that entire process worked, what she invested in along the way and how she was able to utilize relationships with vendors to continue to grow her business. We discuss the ins and outs of wedding planning – from managing multiple marketing platforms, to how she gets her clients, communicating with employees and clients, asking for referrals and setting boundaries so that you can look after your own well-being. Even if you are not in the wedding industry, there are so many valuable nuggets in here, for any entrepreneur, in any industry. Take a listen!

Today we are excited to tell you about a workshop coming up next Tuesday, September 12th. We are going to help you create a foolproof plan so you can literally conquer anything. Inside this workshop we are going from step zero to done (and everything in-between). We are going to show you the steps you need to take before you even think about being more productive. On this episode we go through some of the actual steps inside the challenge so you can start to see results right away and know that the stuff that we share and talk about is legit.

We are also taking it a step back in the workshop so we can help you create a good framework going forward. Finally, we will also be sharing a couple of saucy hacks that you can implement to make running your business on the go faster, easier, and more polished. Then, we are moving to “to-do list, done” - crossing them off because they are done. So we are going to talk about how other successful business owners look at their goals and their strategies and how they can work specifically for creatives. So how do you get there? Let’s jump in and take a look.

Today on the podcast, we have Dr. Beth Brombosz. Beth is an author, copywriter, content creator, and the host of the Blogger to Author Podcast. In 2015, she turned some of her own blog posts into a book titled Yoga for Runners, which is now available on Amazon. Beth’s book has helped her build a platform as an expert in her field. She is passionate about helping fellow bloggers turn their content into books so they can build authority in their niche, share their passion with the world, and earn passive income.

In this episode, you’re going to hear all about that process. From repurposing your content to creating a book, to self-publishing, pricing, layout and sales, Beth really breaks it down into an easy step-by-step process. She self-published her book in just 30 days! She proves that it’s totally doable, with no publishing experience needed. If you’ve never written a book in your life, but are thinking about it, then today’s podcast is for you.

Today, we are chatting about the good old pivot; the pivoting to your passion, the figuring out what the heck you can work on right now to start getting your feet wet. It is all about testing the waters of this whole creative biz ownership thing, making some actual money, and then transitioning to whatever keeps the fire in your soul burning. We want you to dive in to where you are getting paid to do something that you are good at, even if that thing is not what your business is going to be in the next year or two.

So in this episode we are going to dive into starting with your MVP and what that means, and then explain to you kind of how we kept that top of mind in our own creative business journeys. Now, we are not talking about the most valuable player on your baseball team. No, it is your most viable product. What is the thing that you can sell today without having to learn a new skill, without having to go to school or take a class? What can you bring to market right away that you can sell and make money off of? This is exactly the thing that people need to be focusing on instead of other fluff.