Making Good: Small Business Marketing Podcast

December is an important month for small businesses -- particularly product-based small businesses. In this episode, I offer 10 holiday marketing ideas to help you up your holiday sales in what has been a tumultuous year.   The 10 ideas discussed in this episode are:  Free shipping Clear holiday shipping deadlines Gift suggestions or gift guides Extra good customer service Infuse the holiday spiri...

Dear listener,  happy holidays! Thank you SO MUCH for being here at Making Good. Hanging out with you each week has been the highlight of my year, and I’m so grateful to have you here listening, connecting with me on Instagram, and just generally being part of the Making Good Community. As a small gesture of my thanks, I wanted to give you a holiday gift. This episode shares what that is. Lauren _...

In this episode, I am joined by Nikki Innocent for a discussion about inclusiveness, identity, and the power of small business. Nikki is a speaker, certified women’s leadership coach, diversity, equity & inclusion strategist, podcast host and social entrepreneur focused on belonging and transforming the future of leadership.  INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makinggoodpodcast/ ____________...

This episode airs on the Tuesday before the US holiday of Thanksgiving. Instead of having a finely tuned point of view for this episode, I am going to let this episode be a bit of a mashup of ideas, thoughts, and resources.  In this episode we talk about Thanksgiving, and some ways we can honor the people who were here first. I’ll share some resources that I’d encourage you to share with your audi...

"Low waste, small batch, big heart." When I was first connected with Natalie Wong of Pep Soap and heard this was her tagline, I knew I *HAD* to have her on the podcast. In this episode, we discussed Natalie's path to soapmaking, her approach to running an environmentally friendly business, and marketing. We talked about ripple effects, keeping an open heart, listening in your market...

Think of your website as your Digital Storefront. When people stumble upon it, it’s like they’re walking by, craning their heads to look inside your shop and see if it’s worth having a browse. What makes people decide to come on in and take a look? It's easy to think of your website as a thing to check off your list and not revisit... but your website is important and full of opportunities fo...

Mental health is one of the topics closest to my heart, and I've been wanting to find a way to have a conversation about it on this podcast for a while, but wasn't quite sure where to start. In this episode, I invited Amy Deland of Emerge Thriving to join me for this important conversation. We discussed the stigma of mental health, the power of sharing our experiences (but why it's...

FREE DOWNLOAD : To download the worksheet that goes with this episode, click here. This short & sweet Halloween Week episode is also relevant all year round, because we're talking about what happens when we let our fears hold us back. I share an exercise I (accidentally) created for myself that has helped me move forward despite the pesky doubts and worries that threaten to hold me back....

My friend Alex Dickinson joins me on the podcast to talk about how (and why) to advocate for yourself, making friends as an adult, and the power of having difficult conversations. Alex is the founder of Ask For It , a boutique communications training and consulting company that teaches negotiation skills to teams, organizations, and anyone who needs to ask for more. Ask for It’s mission is to fost...

// FREE DOWNLOAD : Free workbook + guide to writing a values statement for your business. This is 17-pages of GOOD content, and includes some fun bonus content like my top 10 favorite ways that small businesses can do good, and 6 writing rules of thumb for effective business writing. Download here ! Today's episode is all about finding community -- something that has made a huge difference to...

What are affirmations? What can they do for us? Do you have to really BELIEVE in the affirmation for it to have power? If you're interested in how you can use your mind to influence the results you see in all areas of your life... don't miss this episode. My guest for episode 24 of Making Good is Jen Hatzung, Founder & CEO of Abundant Affirmations. This interview was such a great exa...

In this episode, we are talking all things WHOLESALE. We cover: what is wholesale? advantages of wholesale who is wholesale a good fit for? wholesale vs. consignment wholesale basics (line sheets, pricing, payments, tax, terms, turnaround time, shipping) wholesale marketing (how do you get accounts, how do you reach out, what do you say) This is a great episode for all product-based businesses! __...

In this episode, I am joined by Laura Clise, CEO and Founder of Intentionalist , the online guide to intentional spending that supports small businesses and diverse local communities. In this episode Laura shares why we should all "spend like it matters", the power of supporting small businesses and business owned by people from marginalized communities, how we can shop small through our...

// FREE DOWNLOAD: If you’d like to download the worksheet accompanying this episode, click here . // In this episode, I share why writing for business is unique, and my 9 rules for writing effective business copy. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review, and subscribe to Making Good so you never miss an episode.  ____________________ MAKING GOOD SHOWNOTES: https://www.makingg...

In this episode, I am joined by coming out guide and life coach Nancy Shadlock of Centered Life Coaching . We discuss how we are all a work in progress, and how to identify what our life's "next chapter" might be, how to find our unique gifts, and how we can use Human Design and Gene Keys to lean into our potential. Nancy shares what it means to be a "coming out coach", ho...

// FREE DOWNLOAD: If you’d like to download the worksheet accompanying this episode, click here . // 2020 has been A YEAR. But despite the fact that we live in a completely different world from the one we started the year in, many of us have tried to stick with our initial plans for 2020, no matter how far behind we feel. Here's your permission to let go of your initial plan for the year, and...

In this episode, storytelling expert Megan Dowd joins to help us learn how to build strong connections with our audience through storytelling. We explore why storytelling matters and how to use it in your small business, why it's important to tell "boring stories", what good stories have in common, why it's important we understand which of Gretchen Rubin's 4 Tendencies we...

On today's episode of Making Good, I'm answering marketing questions you submitted via Instagram! In this episode, I answer the following questions: LinkedIn: Should you use it? Should you be on it? Do mailing lists really work? What's the most effective platform? What's the difference between marketing and promotion? What's necessary and what's fluff? Do you have any...

Reina Pomeroy of Reina + Co joins me for episode 16 of Making Good . In this episode, we talk about how critical your mindset it is when it comes to getting the results you want in your business. Reina shares some mindset tips, what her high-achieving clients have in common, and routine business practices that she recommends. We also discuss why diversity and inclusion is important. If you enjoyed...

Episode 15 of Making Good is about one of my favorite topics: email marketing. I draw from my experience as a corporate marketer and share my philosophy toward email marketing, how to get people on your email list, and make an email marketing plan. And then, we spend most of the episode talking about how to write an effective piece of email marketing. I have to say -- this is a good one. If you en...

In episode 14 of Making Good, my guest is operations expert Mariah Tomkinson of Bloom Hustle Grow . If you ever feel overwhelmed, disorganized, and like you don't know where to start, this episode is for you. Mariah answers questions like: How do we know how to spend our time? How can we prevent ourselves from getting overwhelmed? Why do business systems matter, and which ones should every sm...

On today's episode of Making Good, I defend my belief that we all have an obligation to be authentic on social media. Social media has created a lot of opportunity in the world -- but we can probably all agree it has it's downsides. So how do we make sure we have a positive impact on social media? I believe it's through authenticity. All sources and links can be found on the show no...

In episode 12 of Making Good, my guest is Illiah Manger. Illiah helps entrepreneurs create more income and impact with design that amplifies their message and elevates their business. In this episode, Illiah and I discuss: what graphic design is and why it matters, what it looks like to work with a designer, Illiah's approach to building community and her recommendations, and tips on building...

Today on Making Good I’m sharing 5 things I’ve learned since I started my business. I could have saved myself a lot of time, money and energy if I’d known these 5 things earlier… but since I can’t go back in time, I hope that this is valuable for any of you early on in your business journey. Not a brand new business owner? There’s stuff in here for you too. Some of these lessons I’m STILL in the p...

Today on the Making Good podcast, my guest is Nesha Frazier of Courage Hackers, a personal development agency for entrepreneurial women over 30. She can help you stop settling, stop overthinking, and start taking action toward BIG goals.  Nesha is a POWERHOUSE. She’s a married mom of 3, who is currently launching a business while on maternity leave from her full-time gig. She’s a US Air Force vete...