Business Bites® with Rachel Brenke

I love helping other entrepreneurs.  Business to Business. . .YES, please!  I thrive off helping others get a piece of that entrepreneurship pie.  And this, this is why I love adding commercial photography into my business and why I think you should too.  As photographers, we know how important visual imagery is.  We are not just selling photography, but a feeling , the aesthetic , the image for t...

We’ve been spending the last few videos learning what needs to be included in your contracts, but now it’s time to branch out and learn how to handle cancellations. Your contract is key when it comes to cancellations, but you still need to know how to navigate these situations with finesse. Whether you need to cancel or your client decides to cancel, we’ll learn what we can and cannot do when it c...

Every single day you are bombarded with experts telling you how to run your business, but what do they really know? Recently, we learned that many of the people giving out friendly advice are steering us into dangerous, and potentially illegal , territory .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Your contract can be your best friend especially if you're a photographer if it includes the correct contract provision...

We live in a world full of experts sitting behind their keyboard telling you the best way to run your business. Yes, they are experts in their field, but the reality is that they are not experts in legalities .  They are experts in photography.  Very few have a law degree or understand how the legal system works for a business owner. Stop listening to the lies these “experts” tell you and start pr...

You hear it all the time - "Riches are in the niches", "you must niche down to be successful" which yes - absolutely. BUT, I'm telling you, you have to take it a step further. To build your business, you need to get soooo niched down in four major areas that it's actually TERRIFYING. So terrifying, that you're waking up with cold sweats in the middle of the night...

Navigating heartbreak and the emotions that come with it is often overlooked when it comes to mental health. We are often told how to overcome huge life loss and events but not how to navigate heartbreak. Once we learn to navigate heartbreaks we are able to live life authentically. Ladies, we no longer have to throw our emotions into a box and "just move on." LaToya is walking us through...

We live in a world full of experts sitting behind their keyboard telling you the best way to run your business. Yes, they are experts in their field, but the reality is, they are not experts in legalities .  Very few have a law degree or understand how the legal system works for a business owner. Stop listening to the lies these “experts” tell you and start prioritizing YOUR business. The experts...

As entrepreneurs, our natural inclination is to want to put our best foot forward on social media, but building an authentic following is often about being as vulnerable as possible. Today on the show my guest is Jamie Otis, and she joins me to talk about her journey toward vulnerability as a TV personality and social media influencer, and how this connects to her process as an entrepreneur. Jamie...

Whether you’re just entering the entrepreneurship world, or you’ve been in it for years, you’ve likely already had your fair share of struggles.  And let’s be real, there are plenty more to come.  But just as the saying goes, “it’s not what happens to you, but your reaction that matters”, the same can be said for struggles.  It’s not about the struggle, but overcoming it, learning from it, and gro...

Hiring a business coach is a huge decision.  You want to make sure that you hire the right one for your industry, that fits your business structure and your personality.  So, not just any one that says they’re a business coach will do.  Some have never even run a business themselves outside of being a coach.  They aren’t going to understand what you’re going through.  In today’s episode, I break d...

Business coaches are out there showing entrepreneurs what they should be doing to get ahead and be successful, but one of the most effective ways to learn is by learning from the mistakes we are making and realizing the things that we, as entrepreneurs, should not be doing.  Layci Nelson joins me today to debunk three leadership myths, while offering hot tips on working around them.   Send us Fan...

Business and life are not separate.  In fact, they are completely intertwined.  If you’re living to work, working to live, you’re doing it wrong!  Business should be a supporting actor to the life we want.  It should not be our lives.   If you feel overwhelmed, stressed and frustrated in your business, you’re hurting not only your biz, but your relationships and your real life.  If you’re not bein...

Hustle culture – I hate it.   It’s stressful.  It’s overwhelming.  It’s just too much.  I see it all the time – you’re working so hard, putting all this effort into things to keep up with everyone else, but not everyone has the same end goal.  You shouldn’t be comparing or competing with others.  Just because you put more effort in, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re moving your business closer to su...

How often do you say you wish you had more time or there just aren’t enough hours in the day.  You’re not alone.  Friends, we can make more money, we can hire more people, but we can’t increase time.  Time management is so important to the success of your business, and wasted time is absolutely detrimental.  I am going to be releasing a free Time Management Training because it is key to balancing...

Confession time: I’m a MAJOR internet sleuth….I wanna know all. So much so, I’ll watch someones actions online and try to figure out how they maximize their time and energy.  In fact, when starting out (and sometimes from time to time) I so bad want to steal another entrepreneur’s planner to see exactly how they DO IT ALL.  The reality is, NO ONE is doing it all… ..but those that do are either doi...

“I wish I could do that” you think to yourself as you scroll through social media.  Friend, YOU can.  Social media is filled with average people making special choices.  Stop wishing for the success you see from your peers and start making your own dreams a reality.  There is no special secret to success.  You just need to choose to show up consistently, intentionally, and strategically.   Making...

“I’m not good enough.” “My product/service isn’t perfect.” “I can do better.” Stop being paralyzed by perfectionism. We all start somewhere, whether we’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, or we just fell into it. We all have a solution to a problem for someone. Procrastination because of Imposter syndrome is only causing others to suffer. Help out your avatars. Help yourself, your family, your...

I’m coming back friends!  And I’m ready!  Ready to help entrepreneurs, dig in to coaching, individually and in groups, helping you build the real biz you want while simultaneously creating the life you want to live.  The team and I have been working hard through all the changes, new technology, new offerings, strategizing in different directions and I gotta tell you, I’m really digging the new str...

We all hate legal. Heck, I’m an attorney and some days I don’t like legal. But getting the right legal is vital when it comes to setting up your business. In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about how you can avoid lawyers that suck. To start, I recommend finding an attorney who has an entrepreneurial mindset. As I explain in the show, this is important because you want to gel with someone who g...

Contracts can feel tedious, daunting, and even unnecessary. I’m here to tell you that contracts are so much more than that. They are designed to iron out confusion, set parameters for your consumers, and protect you from them. In this episode, I dive into a whole bunch of misconceptions and give you the clarity you’re looking for. To start it all off, I define what actually makes a contract, which...

Do you own your brand? I mean, do you really own your brand? This is one of the most important questions you can ask yourself, because all too often people think they have ownership of their brand, when in fact, it’s as good as someone else’s property — literally. In today’s episode, I want to spend some time explaining the three keys to brand ownership and protection. A good place to start is ens...

I’m going to spend this episode breaking down what I like to call, “The Legal Triad.” I want to frame them as hurdles between you and the customer who might take issue with you, your product or service. First up is setting yourself up as a business entity.  First up is setting yourself up as a business entity.  Then I get into the nitty-gritties of business liability.  Later in the show, I talk ab...

We all know that you need to create and publish great content for your business to thrive. But one of the best ways to approach this task is to efficiently organize the process and avoid time-wasting and messaging that is confusing for your consumer. In this episode, I break down how to go about organizing your content calendar, sharing a handful of vital factors to focus on. In only 10 minutes yo...

I’m sharing another step in my proven business formula, which is all about your unique story. The story that you can tell to reach your consuming avatar, your potential clients, your potential customers, so that you can serve them with the solution that you have to their problem. I’ve got five story brand elements that will help you create content that aligns with your unique story, so make sure t...

Having been in the business for 15 years, I’ve had to evaluate myself, and you guys, all the time. I pick up mistakes, and that’s what we are going to cover today: we are going to sit down and look at the mistakes we make so that we don’t make them again. Full show notes & links to resources mentioned: https://rachelbrenke.com/epi153   Join the Business Bites Podcast® group to chat about this...