What Works | Small Business Podcast With Tara Mcmullin

Imagine making money in your sleep. When I first started selling ebooks and courses that’s all anyone could talk about, and I’ll admit that the first time I woke up to money having been deposited in my PayPal account over night, I was pretty damn excited. But what I realized soon after was that there was nothing passive about passive income. Whether you’re making money through ads, online courses, ebooks or apps, you had to work. Sure, the revenue might come in over night, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t spend the whole day before at your desk. Now while many still promise an infinitely scalable business built on online education, most people have wised up. It’s not that information marketing doesn’t work in terms of creating a scalable and profitable business, it’s just that there are other ways to make scalable and profitable work for you. Many of the most successful small business owners today run high-touch service-based businesses. Instead of scaling their businesses digitally, they’re building smart t

It’s tempting to think that all the time you spend on social media, writing articles, creating podcast episodes, or recording videos is time spent building relationships. Heck, I’m doing it right now. Every podcast episode I create is an effort to create a genuine connection between you and me. But I know from experience that my efforts in broadcasting—whether on the podcast, with content marketing, through email, or on social media—pale in comparison to the time I spend interacting with people like you. The conventional wisdom in today’s media-rich world is that you start by creating content, then build your audience, and then market a product to them. Final step? Bathe yourself in dollar bills. However, this is a reductive take on what actually works. Businesses aren’t built on audiences. They’re built with people. And there is a very real difference when it comes to creating for audiences versus nurturing relationships with real people. We talk differently to groups of people. We share different ideas whe

This January, I’m celebrating 10 years as a small business owner. To say that a lot has changed since I started my very first website while breastfeeding my infant daughter is an extreme understatement. It’s not just the marketing tactics we rely on or the social platforms we frequent that have changed, though. I think it comes right down to the kinds of questions we’re asking and the visions we’re pursuing. Our businesses have matured—and we’re doing our best to keep up. Since my job is to both interview small business owners here on the podcast and observe the comings & goings of hundreds of small business owners in my company’s small business network, I have a pretty great vantage point for seeing how the landscape is changing. I see 5 key trends shaping small business in 2019. Over the next 5 episodes, I’ll be sharing each one with the help of interviews we’ve done over the last 3 years. The reason we can do that is because, well, these new trends are actually nothing new. They’ve been bubbling benea

The Nitty Gritty * The origin story of the “wing woman effect” * How Mia Scharphie, founder of Build Yourself Workshop, uses what she calls a Virtuous Circle to connect with other business owners and grow her company (and how it differs from a mastermind) * Why making amazing connections with other entrepreneurs doesn’t come down to magic or luck but instead by intentionally crafting the relationship * How to use online business communities to find a business ally (plus, a number of ways to do this offline, too) * What to do when you struggle with making an ask in business Mia Scharphie believes in the power of a virtuous circle. It’s all about proactively cultivating the business allies within your realm who help take you to new heights — in business and in life. In this episode, Mia shares exactly how she cultivates strong business allies by making asks, connecting over a virtual coffee date with people she admires, and so much more. If you’ve ever wondered how to take your business to the next level thr

Both as humans and as business owners, we tell ourselves stories. I might tell myself that no one will pay what I need to charge for my work. You might tell yourself that you can’t hire anyone who will do the work the way you want it to be done. Someone else might tell themselves that they don’t have enough experience to be taken seriously, that hard work equals results, or that they can do it all themselves. These stories aren’t necessarily good or bad–but they do frame the way we see our opportunities and challenges. These stories influence our plans and calculations. They impact our relationships with others and the relationship we have with ourselves. The more I’ve learned about business, the more I’ve learned that these stories play a huge role in how likely our businesses are to succeed or stagnate. The stories we tell ourselves as entrepreneurs make up our mindsets. Another way to look at it is that these stories create a pattern of expectations and beliefs. Every action you take and every decision yo

The Nitty Gritty * Why Maggie of Scoop Studios pivoted from working with online entrepreneurs to local, in-person clients — and how tapping into her existing network made all the difference in finding leads * How Maggie’s role within the agency shifted to Director of Sales when her business partner left — and how that impacted the rest of the team structure * Who updates standard operating procedures and when * Why Maggie only works with clients on engagements six months and longer (hint: healthier cash flow and happier clients!) Maggie Patterson, Principal of Scoop Studios, recently made a huge pivot in her company. For the first year or so of business, Maggie worked primarily with online business owners. But when she saw that business wasn’t growing and finding leads became increasingly harder, Maggie knew it was time for a shift. That’s when she decided to stop working with online business owners and instead work with local business owners. The results? She’s getting paid more,  she’s working with her i

The Nitty Gritty * The live video broadcasting opportunity Sai Hossain saw for creators and entrepreneurs that inspired him to create Crowdcast * How small business owners are generating leads with live video and 2 key ways they are using live video to drive revenue * How live video is working for small business owners today as they build audiences and nurture relationships * Plus, the inside scoop on the future of video broadcasting and some features coming soon to Crowdcast Must See TV might be all but a thing of the past but there is still one place where appointment television is alive and kicking: live video broadcasting. Today, you can get up close and personal with your favorite brands, celebrities, influencers, and entertainers streaming places like Instagram Live, Facebook Live, and YouTube Live. Plus, you can hang out with a community of fans, ask questions, and suggest topics while you watch. But live video broadcasting isn’t just for internetainers. By 2021, live video is projected to be a $70

The Nitty Gritty * What Jessica Fialkovich’s daily life looks like as President and Cofounder of Transworld Business Advisors—Rocky Mountain, investor, and nonprofit board of director * How Jessica uses the bottom up approach for setting company goals * How goals are established among team members and how those goals influence yearly company goals * Why you should think about your business not as an extension of your identity but as a financial asset — and ways to shift your mindset * Jessica’s tips for efficient team meetings Jessica Fialkovich knows what it takes to start and grow a successful small business. And, she knows how to buy and sell them. Today, Jessica’s the President and Co-Founder of Transworld Business Advisors—Rocky Mountain and she strategically leads and supports her team. In this episode, Jessica outlines exactly how she and her team set the yearly company goals. She also describes goal setting is a personal process — and how she works with each team member to create goals that work to

I avoided confronting my mindset as a business owner for years. I figured that, if I got the numbers and the strategy right, I could grow my business without worrying about my own personal development or leadership. But the more I looked around, the more I realized that the entrepreneurs who were excelling in ways I wanted to excel thought differently than I did. They approached their systems, customers, and identity in a way that felt unfamiliar. After a good long while and plenty of false starts, I realized that mindset was every bit as important to the success of a business as strategy and numbers. I’ve been hosting the What Works podcast for over 3 years now and I’ve interviewed over 150 small business owners in my quest to find out what’s working—and what’s not—to grow and manage a business today. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege to ask creatives, coaches, tech entrepreneurs, educators, writers, and designers how they approach their businesses. Sure, they’ve given me the nitty-gritty on how thin

The Nitty Gritty * Why speaker, author, and publicist Dana Kaye prefers intentional slow growth in business — and how she manages her company’s growth today * How growing too fast can negatively impact you, your clients, and your business — and, on the contrary, how growing more intentionally can change everything for the better * How Dana uses strategic partnerships to grow her business and serve her clients in an out-of-the-box way * How she collaborates with other service providers to serve clients in an organized and comprehensive way * Why she schedules in lunch dates in person (or on Zoom) every week — and the importance of sending out thank you notes Dana Kaye does things differently. She won’t give you the same run-of-the-mill advice that other publicists will… and that not only helps her company grow, it also helps her clients reach new heights. In this episode of What Works, Dana describes how partnerships lead to smart and intentional growth. She also discusses how important networking and expre

The Nitty Gritty * Why Natalie decided to pursue a personal brand under her name — and why she decided to keep The Suitcase Entrepreneur, too. * What Natalie’s personal brand looks like from the inside out — and why she’s considering a done-for-you offering as part of her services * What she learned from taking a 3-month sabbatical to figure out her next moves — and how Natalie decided to move back to her native New Zealand * How Natalie uses an “idea journal” to quickly document new project ideas before committing to them. Plus, a quick look into how she makes decisions for her life and business so that they align with her purpose, vision, and goals. Natalie Sisson spent the better part of six years working remotely and traveling around the world. And while many of you likely know her as the Suitcase Entrepreneur, she’s set her bags down to make a home in her native New Zealand (puppy and partner included!). Although life’s changed quite a bit for her from her working-and-traveling-the-world-days, Natalie

What would 11-star service look like? That’s the question that Brian Chesky asked himself to figure out how he and his team at Airbnb needed support hosts to help everyone involved have an exceptional experience. I first heard this idea of 11-star service during Brian’s interview with Reid Hoffman on the first episode of Masters of Scale. The idea is that you want to create the capacity for these exceptional customer experiences to happen on a regular basis. The more regularly they happen, the more people come back and buy again–and the more they tell their friends. Of course, creating this 11-star service doesn’t just produce business results. It produces human results. Someone who takes the time to create an 11-star service isn’t just concerned with the bottom line, they are truly invested in showing genuine gratitude to the person they’re doing business with. This month at CoCommercial, we’re talking about Gratitude and how it shapes the way we do business. What does authentic, meaningful gratitude look l

The Nitty Gritty * How Kristen Runvik is scheduling her life, job, and business to make sure she’s spending her time the way she wants to * How she divides her time to find  balance between her side hustle with her day job * What she does to get the most out of Instagram marketing without letting it consume her * How Kristen takes what she has learned at in-person events online More than 44 million Americans have a side hustle to earn extra money for living expenses, savings, and investments. But having a side hustle doesn’t necessarily mean you have a plan for quitting your job and going full-time with your business. In this week’s episode of What Works, Lagom Body Co founder Kristen Runvik shares with us how she divides her time between life, job, and business, how she finds new customers without spending all of her time marketing, why she has a love/hate relationship with Instagram, and more. We release new episodes of What Works every week. Subscribe on iTunes so you never miss an episode. Marketing yo

The Nitty Gritty * Who is succeeding with email marketing today–and how they think about their email lists differently * How ConvertKit makes it easy to test ideas and create a new product * Why simplicity is winning when it comes to email–and how that means you can spend less time marketing * How ConvertKit bridges the gap between the business just setting out and the more mature business with more sophisticated needs * Plus, a special trial offer–first month free! Despite the annual warnings that email marketing is losing its effectiveness, email continues to be a top sales driver across industries and business models. Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone uses email to drive sales the same way they did 5 years ago or that they’re using the same strategy as the business next door. How are the leading businesses using email marketing in the current environment? Isa Adney, ConvertKit’s resident educator & webinar host, has her finger on the pulse of email marketing today and shares a variety of example

The Nitty Gritty * Why Jason Van Orden ultimately left the business he ran for ten years and how taking a sabbatical helped him get to the heart of why he felt so discontent and uninspired * The identity crisis Jason experienced as he shifted from being known as the founder of Internet Business Mastery to being a consultant * How Jason realized that his unique genius comes out when he’s in a room full of people — not teaching online courses without a real-time feedback loop * Plus, a look at Jason’s quick reference guide, a document that reminds him of who he is when he’s at his best Jason Van Orden founded Internet Business Mastery ten years ago — and over the last decade, he successfully grew it into a well-known resource for starting an online business. Yet, as the business boomed, Jason started to feel more and more discontent with his work, especially during the last couple years. Through scaling the business and automating it, Jason lost connection with his creativity and passion. That’s when he deci

The Nitty Gritty * Why Elena and Catherine approached their second pregnancies different from their first — and how that impacts their work at StoryMine * How the cofounders approached their dual pregnancies as an opportunity to implement systems and create a more efficient business model that worked for their ideal way of partnering with clients * How they use content marketing to educate and inform potential clients about their work — and why that’s so helpful for When Elena Rue was pregnant with her first child, she didn’t meet with leads in person once she started showing. “I didn’t want them to assume that’s going to change StoryMine,” she says. Which, of course, it didn’t. Instead, it altered her perspective on running a creative business as a parent — for the better. Now, as Elena and StoryMine’s cofounder Catherine Orr navigate their second pregnancies — this time, together — they’re approaching it as a “positive disruption” to their business and using it as a catalyst for improvements from hiring

The Nitty Gritty * Why Sarah decided to offer her online course Bank Boost in a live setting using weekly emails and live Q and A sessions * The values and psychology behind her product pricing and how she markets the live courses in a low-key way without webinars * Why she goes offline for a couple days at a time to work on content — and how that frees up the rest of her time to work with clients and so much more * How she plans to market her live courses in the future * What Sarah’s different streams of income look like Sarah Von Bargen writes and teaches about “the space where money and happiness meet.” In this episode of What Works, Sarah walks us through her decision-making process to transform one of her popular eBooks into an online course and everything else that goes into promoting and running it. We release new episodes of What Works every week. Subscribe on iTunes so you never miss an episode. Why take things live? “It’s a values-based thing. It doesn’t feel good to me to take hundreds of dollar

Underneath their ambitious and confident facades, small business owners experience quite a bit of fear. Since our goal is to bring you honest conversations about what it really takes to run a small business, we thought it was high time to talk about the fears we all face on a daily basis. We spoke to 11 small business owners and several themes emerged. These themes were echoed in the conversations we’ve been having about fear all month long with our CoCommercial community. Prefer to read? No problem. Find the entire episode in article form by clicking here. In this episode, we explore the fear of judgment, the fear of visibility, the fear of not being good enough, the fear of not being worthy, and the fear of giving up control. Each entrepreneur we talked to spotted these fears in different scenarios, things like public speaking, pricing their work, or pivoting a business model. But one thing remained constant: Their fears never really subsided.  Instead, they decided to focus on taking action—and enjoying t

The Nitty Gritty * The strategies that led to Simple Green Smoothies’ explosive success: from adopting Instagram early to focusing on the community from day one to zeroing in on a single topic to grow the brand * The pivotal moment when Jadah Sellner knew she wanted to leave Simple Green Smoothies to start something new — her own personal brand — to free her voice * What the process of exiting the company looked like for Jadah, how long it took to officially make the decision, and what life’s looked like since then When you find what works in your business, you want more of that. But what happens when you reach success and realize that you want something else? Today’s guest, Jadah Sellner, can tell you more about that. She’s the former cofounder of Simple Green Smoothies, the wildly successful online resource for recipes and cleanses. Everything about the company worked: Instagram followers climbed, the email list multiplied, and launches sold out. As Jadah says, they had a system that worked: rinse and re

The Nitty Gritty * Why making decisions as a collective aligns with Kate Strathmann’s business vision instead of the “this way or the highway” mentality * How Kate pushed past her introvert tendencies to show up for team members and clients and the importance of meeting face-to-face as a remote company every week, even if there isn’t an agenda * How Kate sets healthy and strong boundaries with her team and clients — and how she supports her employees in bringing their full self to work * Why Kate values flexibility and autonomy as company-wide values so her team does what’s best for them Kate Strathmann’s company Wanderwell Consulting pays homage to Aloha Wanderwell, the first woman to travel around the world by car during the 1920s — and a woman who continued traversing the planet for the rest of her life. That same adventurous, quirky, and unconventional spirit threads through everything at Wanderwell, from how Kate hires and leads to how she works with clients in a “pretty off-beat, feelings-oriented, a