Grow Your Local Business

If you run a business that can work with people all over, but you're struggling to get clients, this Most Valuable Podcast (MVP) episode is for you! Just because you can serve people anywhere, it doesn't mean it's the best place to START. In today's episode, I'm breaking down why focusing locally first can help you get fully booked faster and actually give you the momentum...

I’m bringing this episode back as one of my Most Valuable Podcast (MVP) episodes because it’s one of the most important questions you can ask when you feel stuck: Do I need to learn a new skill or do I need to implement what I already know? So many local business owners stay stuck because they lump every problem into “I don’t know what to do.” But “I don’t know” usually keeps you spinning. In this...

In this episode, I’m sharing something that might sound a little shocking: I’ve spent over six figures working with the same coach, in the same mastermind, over and over again. Not because I get new information and content every round. Not because I didn’t “get it” the first time. But because I keep getting a return from the same process at a deeper and deeper level. This episode is for the local...

If you’ve ever felt like the hardest part of business isn’t always what to do every day, but it’s believing bigger results are actually possible for you... this episode is for you. In today’s episode, I’m talking with my Localpreneur Academy student Maddy Memmer , the owner of Color Chroma in Austin, Texas, a color analysis and personal stying business . Maddy is a former teacher who has spent the...

In this episode, I’m sharing a special announcement for local business owners who want the second half of 2026 to look completely different from the first. I’m walking you through: The 5 essential skills every fully booked local business owner needs Why it’s never a mystery clients aren't coming in when you can bring your marketing back to a process  Why I’m hosting a mid-year week-long virtu...

You invested in the website. The branding. The business cards. The booking software. The supplies. The certifications that help you become excellent at what you do. You’ve spent so much time and money getting your local business ready for clients… but are you investing in the skillsets that actually get you clients? In this episode, I’m sharing why marketing and selling are not just another busine...

Do you ever catch yourself waiting until you feel ready? Ready to start. Ready to show up. Ready to sell. Ready to make the move. Ready for life to feel a little more stable before you really go for it. In today’s episode, I’m talking with my Localpreneur Academy client Brittany Powell, a personal trainer and nutrition coach who built a 6-figure business from her garage without the perfect setup,...

This week’s episode is a little different. I’m sharing a short coaching clip from inside The Localpreneur Academy, where one of my students asked a question so many local business owners have: When is the best time to host a local event, workshop, or class? Most people immediately think the answer is about choosing the right day or time based on their demographic or asking their audience what work...

In this Most Valuable Podcast episode, we're walking through the dos and don'ts of niching to help you avoid common mistakes, reduce the stress around choosing a niche and make a confident decision. Tune into this episode to learn: The biggest mistakes small business owners make when choosing a niche or specializing How to avoid "niche drama" and keep making money while you fig...

If you’ve ever had the thought that it’s too late to start a business… or that because you’ve already dedicated so much of your life to a different career, it would be really hard to start over, build something entirely new and become that local go-to in your industry who has fully booked months… I want you to meet my client, Leslie Cuti who's a home organizer in Hammond, Louisiana, and who s...

So many local business owners say they want to be fully booked, more known in their city, and have more demand for what they do… but then their brain immediately jumps to everything that could feel hard about that. More clients. More visibility. More responsibility. More pressure. Less time for their personal life. In this episode, I’m talking about why that happens and why it doesn’t mean you’re...

Do you have inquiries, interest, and people telling you they love what you’re doing… but it’s not turning into sales yet? Do you feel like something is just “off” and you need to change something to get people to buy? Maybe you’re thinking it has to be your pricing, your packages, your offers or your messaging. But what if nothing has gone wrong? What if these are actually the signs that it’s work...

In this Most Valuable Podcast episode, I'm re-sharing how having too many offers in your local business is slowing down your sales. I’m walking you through SIX different ways this shows up for local business owners — from confusing your audience to filling your calendar with the wrong clients — and why simplifying your offers one of the fastest ways to start getting fully booked. Tune into th...

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Brooke Palmer of Jenny Creek Flowers — a former teacher turned flower farmer in Ithaca, New York — to talk about how she built local demand. Tune into this episode to learn: How Brooke set herself apart, became known in her city and sold out her products and workshops with a waitlist The mindset shifts that helped her go from not selling to making thousands o...

Are hashtags still relevant on Instagram in 2026… or are they basically pointless now? There’s a lot of confusion around hashtags right now, especially with so many people saying different things. In this episode, Leslie breaks down what hashtags can still do specifically for local business owners, what’s changed on Instagram and how local business owners should think about visibility in 2026. Tun...

Are you waiting for something outside of you to finally make you feel more confident, more legit or more established in your city? In this episode, Leslie breaks down one of the sneaky thoughts that can keep local business owners playing smaller than they want to. If you’ve been hesitating to follow up, put yourself out there, send the email, pitch the collaboration or market your business more bo...

In this special 150th episode of the Grow Your Local Business Podcast , I’m doing something different. I originally planned to record an Ask Me Anything episode, but after seeing how many of your questions were really about me and my story, I decided to take this episode in a different direction. So today, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing the full journey... from growing up in North Louisi...

Do you struggle with taking photos or video for social media while you're working with clients? Do you forget to take photos or videos of your finished results or final product? Do you feel like you don't have anything to post on social media because you never collect content? Then this episode is for you! I'm sharing lots of examples and ways to easily work getting content with you...

Erica started High Five Ceramics just over a year ago and in her first year in business, she went from “brand new” to booked out fast. She hit her revenue goal, booked 560 appointments and was highly visible in her community through pop-up shops and markets. This created the kind of local demand that forced her to hire help and expand her space sooner than she expected. In this episode, Erica brea...

In this shortie episode, Leslie shares the one metric she obsesses over more than anything else: sales . Yes, views, reach, followers, email stats, inquiries, consults, website traffic -- those metrics matter… but only because they’re supposed to lead somewhere. If everything is “up” but sales aren’t coming in, you don’t have a local visibility or marketing problem, you have a conversion and selli...

What if the thing that’s keeping you from becoming the local go-to in your city isn’t your visibility or marketing strategy… but the belief that you need to feel confident first ? In this episode, we’re talking about the difference between confidence and self-confidence and why self-confidence is the real skill you need to grow visibility, show up consistently on social media , put yourself out th...

Today we’re talking about creating certainty to buy  because every customer needs a certain level of confidence before they say yes. They need to believe you can deliver, believe the result is possible for them  and believe the experience will go the way they want it to go. In this episode, I break down three simple ways to create more certainty in your marketing and I share real stories from my o...

I’m sitting down with my student Tyler Blankenship , a home technology contractor in Durham, North Carolina. Six months ago when he joined The Localpreneur Academy, his business felt like a rollercoaster. Some weeks he’d get calls… some weeks it was crickets. Even though he’d been in business for 4 years, he wasn’t getting the traction he expected. He would "panic market" and make his to...

I genuinely think it’s going to get easier and easier to stand out as the local go-to in your city... even if your industry feels saturated. And it’s not because you found the perfect viral hook or used the trend of the week. It’s because the people who are going to win in 2026 and beyond are the ones creating original content. The content that sounds like you , feels like you and can’t be replica...

“If you’re not embarrassed by who you were 12 months ago, you didn’t learn enough.” In this episode, Leslie shows you why that cringe is proof you’re growing and how to use it to make the next 12 months your biggest growth year yet. In this episode you’ll learn: Why you might not be changing fast enough and how to fix it How to speed up your learning curve by increasing your reps, especially with...