A couple of years ago, I received an invitation to a thank you party via email. That incredibly heartfelt invitation gave me the best feeling and became the catalyst for a friendship and business contact. In this Thanksgiving Day episode, the woman behind that email, Shannon Siriano Greenwood, is back on the show. She and I talk about how gratitude can have a huge impact on and should be the driving force behind your business.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
4:23 - I read the entire email from Shannon that caused me, a super introvert, to dress up and attend a restaurant downtown.
8:54 - Shannon discusses how she and I met. She calls it our own little love story.
14:53 - When did Shannon realize that bringing people together was her strength? She discusses why the realization didn’t come quickly.
20:25 - Shannon reveals a huge component of making connections and building relationships. It looks different from most people’s image of networking.
22:48 - What’s even better than a typical referral? All it takes is a simple mindset shift to see it, and it definitely has a huge effect on your business.
25:53 - We talk about how we remember to touch base and stay in contact with people.
31:04 - Why does Shannon get invited to a lot of things? She’s already done five podcast interviews this month without having to pitch herself.
34:32 - Shannon reveals the purpose behind her new program that brings women together.
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Are you like a hamster on a wheel when it comes to content creation? Do you feel pressured to release a newsletter, blog post, or social media posts week after week? Unfortunately, you’ve become a couch potato content creator--creating content that gets seen once, then gets archived and never sees the light of day again.
Time in your business can be spent so much better than that! So in this episode, I’ve invited my friend and podcast producer Stacey Harris to discuss our anti-couch potato content creation approach and how to see your content as an asset to be used over and over in your business.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
6:25 - Stacey talks about podcast production and what her agency Uncommonly More does differently for podcasters.
11:24 - Is doing an interview-only podcast a good approach to take? Here’s why you might not want to do it like Dax Shepard.
12:54 - Shifting your content approach for client acquisition purposes doesn’t just apply to podcasting. You can do it elsewhere too.
14:03 - How do Stacey and I plan out the content for my podcast together? We reveal how the sausage is made to help you see the shift in real action.
18:13 - We discuss why you needn’t worry about boring people with recycled content, as long as you’re not creating junk food content.
20:19 - Stacey and I divulge how this approach creates space to get away from the never-ending content creation hamster wheel.
27:12 - Stacey highlights how she re-purposes her sales page content and why it helps get clients on board more quickly.
31:10 - How did one service-based entrepreneur build a content marketing system that worked for her, right around the time automation became popular?
37:44 - I circle back to the three key questions that Stacey asks me every quarter. They can totally change the way you think about your content.
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Tiktok taking off. Influencer marketing making a huge splash. Gurus advocating automation everywhere. AI technology that practically reads the minds of potential clients and customers (or so it seems) being a thing that exists. All of these marketing trends took the world by storm in 2021.
But something about these kinds of marketing strategies doesn’t appeal or feel right to most entrepreneurs. So in this episode, I talk with marketing expert Beth Gebhard about why you need to be thinking more of the big picture when it comes to marketing and really bring the soul of your business forward in 2022.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:34 - If there’s one thing you should take away from my conversation with Beth, it’s this. I’ve seen people succumb to this A LOT this year.
8:13 - Beth summarizes the twisting, winding road of her marketing and PR background.
13:29 - Marketing gets treated too often as an afterthought. Try this if you’re new or hesitant to plan out your marketing.
18:52 - What are some major components you should keep in mind when creating a marketing plan for your business?
23:27 - Beth breaks down what a brand actually is. What you think it is doesn’t even scratch the surface.
25:37 - You need to get all the components of your brand in writing. Here’s how it’ll become a bottleneck in your business down the line if you do otherwise.
31:18 - Using text message marketing as an example, Beth reveals the three filters she uses to help clients decide on whether to engage with any marketing tactic.
33:30 - Ask yourself these questions after you’ve spent some time implementing any marketing technique.
38:29 - How can business growth be catastrophic? We reveal why marketing isn’t the solution to everything.
43:45 - To wrap up the episode, I circle back to point out some key takeaways from the interview.
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Inconsistent marketing... feast or famine cycle... shiny object syndrome... all work and no play... these are all signs of a lack of effective business planning to keep you focused and in implementation mode, without the hustle and burnout. In this episode, I guide you towards taking all the insights you’ve gained from the last few days and turning them into your 12-month profit plan for 2022. Welcome to the last day of the Plan Your Best Year Ever challenge!
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:59 - Your 12-month profit plan today isn’t a day-to-day or week-to-week list of things to do.
5:29 - I reveal the 5-part marketing strategy this profit plan is built on and include some examples.
8:56 - How do you map out a big picture profit plan for your business in 2022? Here’s where I start.
9:41 - Do this first to make sure you burnout-proof your business. I offer some questions for you to consider.
11:24 - Start planning what you’re going to sell next year. I discuss how I figure out what my promotion calendar will look like.
14:24 - As you implement your promotion calendar, you’ll want to build up this vital asset as well.
16:19 - I mention one last thing you might want to include in your workbook.
17:12 - If you loved this challenge, what can you do next? I offer you an invitation.
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Does this sound familiar? You write down a business goal and put it some place to remind you of it constantly. Then a few weeks or months down the line, that goal has gone missing, gotten thrown away, or is gathering dust on your desk or fridge or wherever you’ve placed it. And your business is as aimless as it’s ever been.
With goal setting, too many people have a “set it and forget it” mindset. It’s time to try something new! In this episode, I dive into a different way of goal setting that’ll help you actually create the kind of milestones you’ll follow through on. Welcome to day four!
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
4:20 - You’ve made New Year’s resolutions, only to realize you’ve fallen off the wagon before January’s over. Why does goal setting fail so often?
5:52 - Let’s begin a new approach for setting goals. I share a tip I’ve given a lot of my clients when it comes to brainstorming potential goals.
9:23 - You’re going to have a lot written down after your brainstorming session. I discuss how to narrow everything down to your top five goals.
11:08 - Think about how you’re setting yourself up for success.
13:39 - What’s a push goal? I define it and quickly give you a scenario to demonstrate.
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Too many women entrepreneurs work crazy long hours trying to do everything themselves. And just when they feel like they’ve finally put out one fire, another one flares up soon after. But panic isn’t a business strategy, and you didn’t become an entrepreneur to stress yourself out.
Imagine a 2022 that’s different, one without the hustle and burnout. Imagine running your business by design instead of default. When you do, things begin to run like clockwork. So in this episode, I dive into a strategic process for consciously designing a business that works for you instead of you for it. Welcome to day three!
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:33 - Why are we doing business design today after lifestyle design yesterday? It reflects one of The CEO Collective values.
5:33 - I discuss the first part of today’s exercise: looking at your personal definition of success.
7:46 - What’s your professional definition of success?
8:42 - Without getting clear on part two and being more discerning, your business becomes really stressful.
9:43 - Part three shifts you into money mode, but you’re not just going to pull a revenue goal out of thin air. Here’s a helpful way to crunch the numbers.
12:11 - I talk about what to do after you’ve come up with your revenue goal and mention a caveat to keep in mind if you have multiple offers.
14:55 - Marketing that works best for others may not be right for you at all. So how do you figure out the best strategy for you?
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Do you spend every waking moment thinking and worrying about your business, especially with everything that’s gone on since last year? You can still build your dream business regardless of what’s happening in the world. Just take the time to get intentional about what you really want to experience. In today’s episode, I focus on a strategy to help you design your dream life in 2022. Welcome to day two!
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:54 - Today is when things get fun and exciting. I reveal what inspired me to create this exercise.
5:25 - Where is the best place to start when you’re dreaming of what you want to see in your life in the future?
5:58 - I walk you through the process and give examples of upgrades you can attain a year from now.
7:58 - Keep these caveats in mind as you brainstorm your upgrades.
8:29 - I mention some upgrades you may want to consider making in your business.
9:51 - Putting some numbers on the upgrades you desire will give you a clearer picture of the income you need to make it happen.
12:30 - I briefly preview tomorrow’s episode. If your business hasn’t provided you with a steady paycheck, day 3 will make a huge difference!
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The holidays are almost here and many of us are already thinking about next year. But before you do that, it’s important to first take time to reflect on the progress you’ve made in your business this year. Too many entrepreneurs make the same mistakes and face the same obstacles again and again because they fail to do so, making the need to reach the next level of success that much harder.
So to help you avoid this, I’m kicking off my annual five-part series for planning your best year ever! I’ll walk you through the same strategy that I and thousands of other women business owners have followed for the last five years. Today, I start off with reviewing the year. By the end of this series, you’ll have a 12-month plan in hand to help you turn your profit dreams into reality.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
2:29 - Entrepreneurs who plan grow twice as fast as those who don’t plan. So here’s what I encourage you to do before even listening to the episode.
5:01 - Why is planning so important? I talk about what I’ve noticed in my 15+ years working behind the scenes with clients.
7:46 - I reveal why I like to review the year month-by-month and tools that can help refresh your memory of what happened.
9:21 - Ask yourself these key questions as you reflect back on each month. You’ll start to see patterns and get insights into what worked and didn’t work.
12:39 - I give examples of the type of clarity you can gain through this process to help your business.
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